My perfect match
by Nens
Summary: A Rizzles fanfiction, just because Jane and Maura are so sweet together. Hope you'll like it, please feel free to rate, review or comment to let me know if I should do anything to improve the story! Thanks x Of course, I do not own any of the characters, but I do own the plot!
1. Chapter 1

Today has been a tough day for detective Jane Rizzoli and doctor Maura Isles.

A pregnant teenager had been killed early that day by her best friend, thirteen stabs right in the stomach only because she was in love with the same guy who happened to be the father of the child. Jane eventually got her to confess: 'she must have some serious psychological issues' thought Maura when she heard the girl's story.

Still, the honey-blonde doctor cannot stop thinking about that poor girl on the autopsy table. Her stomach had almost been torn apart, and it was the Maura's job to remove the 15 weeks fetus from her dead mother's womb. She had never done something like that before, and now she can't erase the image of that microscopic baby into her hands.

The two women are laying on Jane's bed next to each other, when suddenly Maura feels something on her head and jumps up scared. "What.." she ruffles her hair with a hand and Jane does her best to hold a laugh.

"Sorry Maur, it was my hand, I didn't mean to scare you."

Maura turns to her. "Your hand?"

"Yeah, I was stroking your hair. I thought you would enjoy it, it usually relaxes people." answers Jane, ironically.

Maura sighs, throwing herself back on the bed. "Sorry, I'm not in my right mind today.."

Jane turns to her, the blonde is now laying with her eyes closed, breathing deeply. Her face is tense, she must be thinking about something, and Jane giggles noticing two cute wrinkles right between her friend's eyebrows.

Maura opens her eyes, uncomfortably. "Do I have something on my face?"

"No," laughs Jane, "you just looked very concentrated. You are cute."

Maura smiles weakly and sits up. "Oh, well, thank you."

"You're welcome."

Maura remains still, looking at the wall in front of her for a little bit.

"I mean it. That you're cute." adds Jane after a couple of minutes.

Maura blushes again, Jane can't help to notice. And she finds it extremely sweet.

"Are you thinking about that girl again?"

"That baby was the size of my hand Jane. A human being just as big as my hand. And that girl stabbed its mother's stomach. How could someone kill a baby like that?" says Maura, her eyes glossy with tears.

"That girl was probably mentally ill Maur."

"She definitely was! Because you can't just slash a pregnant belly open with a letter opener, like that!" she snaps her fingers.

Jane gently rubbed her friend's leg. "You're upset, aren't you?"

"I so do am!_ I SO DO AM!_" Tears rushed down Maura's cheeks. "I'm probably menstruating too." she sniffed.

Jane hides an eye roll. "That explains so many things."

Maura blows her nose. "You know, I just wish I had someone to go back to at night, after work. Someone that I can think of and say 'I can't wait to be home and see him again!', have a reason to be happy no matter what happens, because I'm sure that I'm loved.."

Jane removes her hand from her friend's thigh.

"It's stupid, isn't it?" Maura smirks. "But I have never tried this feeling in my whole life. And I'm closer to my forties than to my thirties."

"Maura, you're 36."

"Exactly! And still, all I can get are one night stands. It's sad Jane.."

The brunette sits up to join her friend. "It's not sad Maur. You just haven't find someone that can keep up with you yet. You're a gorgeous and dreadfully smart woman, I strongly believe that the man that you deserve is very very special. It's just not easy to find, give him a break." jokes Jane.

Maura sighs. "Thank you. But I don't know.. I've never been able to feel completely comfortable when I'm with a man. It's like.. You know when you're supposed to cuddle and talk the morning after you've spent a night with someone? Well, when I wake up I can't wait for him to go home. I just don't want him around, I don't want me to be a part of my life.. I'm a frigid spinster!" she scoffs.

"Maura, come on, you're tired.."

"Yes, I'm tired, but I'm also right. I'm afraid there's no perfect match for me Jane."

Jane rubs her back gently. "Sweetie come on, don't be silly. If I was a man I couldn't think of a better woman to be with."

Maura looks at her friend and just hugs her. "I think you're the only match for me Jane. Thank you."

Jane holds her friend tight. "Anytime girl."


	2. Chapter 2

The next day Jane enters the Division One Café to find Maura chatting with Angela.

"Good morning Ma, 'morning Maur." she greets.

Angela kisses her cheek and Maura immediately turns to her friend, a wide smile brightening her pretty face.

"Oh my God Jane, you have no idea how good my morning was."

Jane walks towards the coffee dispenser looking at the blonde. "No, I have not, what happened?"

Maura follows her. "So, I was getting coffee on my way to work, I'm in the line waiting for my latte and guess who is about to spill his black tea on me?"

Jane grimaces. "Black tea? _Ew.._"

"Don't mind that! It was Sean!"

The brunette looks at her friend confused. "And Sean is..."

"My God Jane, Sean, my boyfriend back in college!"

Maura notices that her friend is looking blankly at her. "Really? I can't believe I've never told you about Sean.. Anyhow, we were all surprised because, I mean, last time I saw him it was our graduation, when he left to go to work in London! And he lives here in Boston now, isn't that crazy?"

"Well, London explains the black tea." jokes Jane as she sits at one of the café's small tables.

Maura smirks and takes place next to her friend. "Well, obviously he wanted to apologize for almost spilling his tea on me, so tonight I'll have dinner with my ex-boyfriend. Gosh, you should've seen him, he looked even better than when we were together. And he's a surgeon!"

Maura cannot contain her excitement and Jane tries to smile naturally.

"He was the man of my dreams Jane. We had to broke up because he was moving to the UK to find a job with his parents, but now he's here, we both are! What if we find out that we are still meant for each other! Okay, I am too excited, the adrenaline makes me talk more than I should." Maura drums excitedly on the table.

Jane smiles back at her. "Well, it's..great! I really hope it goes well tonight!"

"I know right?" Maura grabs her purse and the two walk out of the café.

Jane tries to overtake her friend, she doesn't feel like she should go on pretending that she's as psyched as she is for this date.

"Jane wait, I wanted to thank you." The blonde takes her friend's hands and squeeze them softly. "For what you told me yesterday night, for all you always do for me, making me feel better when I'm having a bad day. You really are the best friend a lady could ask for."

Jane forces a smile and rubs Maura's shoulder gently. "Anytime Maur, you know that. I'm happy that you're happy."

Maura is about to answer, but both their phone ring: work calls.

"Rizzoli?"

"Doctor Isles?"

* * *

Jane gets home after another hard day of work. A man that had been found dead in a clothing store's dressing room eventually turned out to be the owner of the place, killed by one of the shop assistants whom he had sexually abused of multiple times.

Jo Friday frisks around her playfully as soon as she closed the door.

"Hey pup! How are you?" Jane pets her dog and tosses her jacket on the couch.

The thought of Maura hits her the moment she opens the fridge to get something to eat. Her friend should already be at dessert with 'the man of her dreams' by now. Jane looks at the clock, it's 10:45. Maybe they're even having fun already. _Ugh._

Jane really hates herself for this, but she can't help it. Every time Maura meets a man and goes out with him, she always feels nervous and irritated for no apparent reason. Actually, Jane doesn't want to admit it out loud, but she knows that she's scared to lose her best friend.

If Maura finds her man, everything would change. Jane would not be her _only match_ anymore. She wouldn't be the first person Maura turns to if she needs to talk, she wouldn't be the first person for anything really.

And Jane can't physically afford to lose her. _Maura is her perfect match._

Having lost her appetite, Jane decides to take a long, hot shower to get her mind off of her best friend's business.

Half an hour later, someone knocks at the door.

It's Maura. She's looking as bad as she never has, she's about to cry and despite herself she's in the pouring rain waiting for her best friend to let her in.


	3. Chapter 3

Jane is in her underwear, her hair wrapped up in a towel, and quickly tosses on a stained shirt before checking the peephole.

"Maur?! Hey Maur.. What's-"

The blonde has dried mascara on her cheeks, her hair has no shape anymore and she is holding a…broken stiletto shoe?

"Maura…" Jane notices that her friend, even though on the edge of a hysterical cry, is still looking classier than her, and she feels weirdly embarrassed.

"This was the most terrible evening slash night of my life." blurts Maura. "Because of that, I don't have time to deal with your outfit, but I want you to know that taking my mind off of that stained college t-shirt requires a certain effort." Maura enters the house limping on her only shoe, kicking it away as soon as she hears the door closing behind her. She sits heavily on the couch, hiding her face between her hands.

Jane eventually moves from the doorstep and makes a few steps toward her friend. "I guess your date-"

"-sucked? No. No, it was far worse than that." her voice is shaking and Jane sits next to her.

Maura raises her head to look at her friend, but the black strap of her bra coming out of the shirt catches her eye. "Your bra doesn't match you panties." she says, sniffing.

Jane lifts the shirt up to actually confirm the fact that her grey panties have nothing in common with the black lacy padded bra she's wearing. She rolls her eyes, then looks straight at Maura. "What happened tonight?"

The blonde sniffs again and takes a deep breath. "We have dinner together, we talk a lot, laugh just as much, then we go get a drink, then we head to his apartment. He brings me upstairs, offers me another drink which I decline thanks to my remaining common sense. We sit down and talk more. The conversation takes more of a private turn, he kisses me and he holds me so sweetly and it all seems to go so right. I unbutton his shirt, he unzips my dress, we.."

Jane is about to gag. "You have sex."

"Yes, we do. Then we move to the table, then to a kitchen chair, to the counter, against the refrigerator..and then again on the couch."

Jane really has her guts full already, she doesn't want to listen to another word. "Okay, I have to stop you here.. How is that physically possible, it's like five times in a row!"

"Six, actually. It was okay, I mean.."

"You don't say!"

Maura gives Jane the "let me finish or I'll finish you" look, so the brunette shuts her mouth and smiles forcedly.

"I'm about to, you know, reach the edge, when…" She swallows. "Who I assume to be his wife and his two children enter the apartment, to find me, almost completely naked, on top of him."

Jane's eyes open wide. "_WHAT?_ Wife and children?!"

"I didn't know Jane! You know my rules, I never date married men! He didn't have the ring and he obviously did not tell me a thing! How could I possibly know?! I had no clue!"

At this point Maura has broken into a freeing cry and Jane surrounds her with her arms.

"I literally left the apartment covering my business with my clothes and my purse and got dressed in the elevator. Also, I couldn't find a cab right away, so I walked to the nearest bus station while it was raining cats and dogs and I broke a shoe." She sobs. "He had children Jane! And what if I meet his wife around! She looked at me as if she wanted to kill me, I swear!" Her pretty green eyes were red and swollen now. "I have never, ever, ever felt more humiliated and embarrassed in my life."

"God, Maura.. I'm so sorry.."

"I ruined a family.."

"No you didn't! He did! He ruined his own family! You didn't know, otherwise you wouldn't even have had dinner with him, I know you!"

Maura sighs and sniffs a couple of times. "Of course I wouldn't have.." Jane hands her a tissue and she blows her nose in her classy, not-noisy way. "I am so humiliated."

"I know you are Maura, but don't blame yourself for this, please."

"Why can't anything go right in my life? Why?" Maura looks at Jane straight in the eyes for the first time that the evening. "Do you have any alcoholic beverage? I really need some booze damaging my brain right now."

Jane gets up without saying a word and a minute later she's back holding two beers and a half-empty bottle of Prosecco. "That's all I have."

"Gosh that's not gonna be enough." Maura opens the wine and starts drinking straight from the bottle, which she empties in a bunch of seconds. "Whoah, joking, that's enough for me!" She gets up from the couch and takes her blouse off, remaining barefoot with bra and skirt still on. "It's hot in here, really hooot.. I need to open a window.."

Jane gets up and grabs her friend's arm right before she can fall, stumbling on her own shoes. "No girl, what you need is some rest, you had a tough tough time." she whispers to Maura, trailing her towards the bedroom.

The blonde throws herself on Jane's double bed and laughs. "Oh Jane, I think I'm pretty drunk right now."

"Yeah you are," the brunette closes the window then hands a clean shirt to her friend. "Here, put this on."

"Look at you, you're so pretty!" Maura plays with Jane's dark curls while her friend tries to make her wear the tee. "Jane, Jane, Jane, if only you were a lesbian." she sighs.

Jane freezes. "What?"

Maura laughs and yawns in response, then lays down and closes her eyes.

* * *

When the blonde is finally sleeping, Jane spreads a blanket on her legs and walks towards the wardrobe to get some pajamas pants. Ransacking, she casually finds the panties that match her bra, and smiling she wears them, thinking about how Maura would be glad to know that now she does have matching underwear on.

Then she turns off the lights and silently lays back on the bed next to her friend.

Maura is sleeping on her side, a hand under the pillow and the other next to her face. A small tear sparkles on the corner of her right eye and Jane carefully moves some locks of honey-blonde hair away from her face. Maura's full lips are slightly open, her breath smells like mint and wine.

She's extremely beautiful, divine. Jane stares at her friend, feeling a knot in her stomach.

That's what Maura does to her, Jane has recently noticed. Any time the blonde walks near her, any time the fruity scent of her blonde mane reaches her nose, any time she hugs her, Jane can't help feeling nervous and weird and hot. She has never felt something like that towards a woman before. Now that she thinks about it, not even with Casey. This whole new sensation she gets when Maura is around confuses her. Does she actually have feelings for her best friend? That can't be, she likes men, she has never dated a girl before. Although she cannot lie to herself, she is kinda glad about Sean not being the right one for Maura. And what about that "_if only you were a lesbian_" that she told her before? 'Man, things are getting weird in here' thinks Jane.

Maura moves in her sleep. She mumbles something and gets closer to her friend's body, nestling against her arm.

Jane stretches a hand and strokes her hair for a little bit, quickly falling asleep, her hand on her best friend's wrist.


	4. Chapter 4

The following morning Jane wakes up at the sound of someone in the kitchen. She quickly gets up and reaches the room to find Maura, fully dressed with..her clothes?

"Good morning," mumbles Jane, her raspy voice even huskier because of the sleep. "Are those my jeans..and my t-shirt?"

"Shhh, shh." Maura closes her eyes and puts a hand on her own forehead. "I'm hangover as _hell_. Do not talk. And for the record yes, they are. I did not have any change with me."

Jane smirks and Maura does her best to attempt a smile. "I wanted to make you coffee, but I couldn't find any."

Jane reaches the right shelf and hands the coffee to her friend.

"Instant?" Maura asks, a tone of disappointment in her voice. "Nevermind, we're getting coffee on the way to work."

Jane smiles accommodating. "Alright. Give me ten minutes and we're out okay?"

"Sure." Maura watches Jane walking towards the bathroom. "Thank you Jane."

Jane smiles to her and disappears behind the door.

* * *

Later that afternoon, Jane goes to the lab to ask Maura for some results, but as she enters she cannot see the blonde doctor around.

"Who's there?" mumbles Maura from her office.

"A dead person asking for an autopsy." jokes Jane, taking a sip of her coffee.

"Then I guess you'll have to wait.." Maura turns to her and her eyes enlighten. "Coffee! Can I get some?" She practically throws herself over Jane's cup and swallows it empty. "That's the only thing that helps me with my headache."

Jane smiles. "Still pretty hangover huh?"

"Yeah.." Maura walks back to her chair, but halfway to it she turns back to Jane. "Uhm.. Jane I have to ask you something."

"Yeah sure," The brunette sits on the desk and starts playing with a pencil.

"I was wondering.. Did I happen to say something inappropriate yesterday night? After I drank, I mean.."

Jane nonchalantly clears her throat. "Uhm, no.. I guess.."

Maura sits heavily on the chair. "Jane don't lie. What did I say?"

The brunette rolls her eyes: Maura really is good with body language. "You kinda said that I was pretty and that you wished I was a lesbian, but.."

"Oh." Maura bits her lips and visibly blushes. "Well, I assume that would be a compliment towards your physical appearance."

"It sure was. Thank you for that."

"Yeah, no problem.." The two of them remain still for some seconds, staring at the floor.

"Look Maur, it's not a problem for me. I mean, it's a sentence that you said while drunk, I won't even remember it by tonight-"

Maura cuts her off. "Actually I meant it."

Jane looks at her friend's eyes. "You.."

"Listen Jane, I hoped I could have told you this in a more appropriate way but.. You have always been there for me. You're the person I am most comfortable around, the only person I don't mind being hugged by. I really like you more than as a simple friend, and I kind of know you share these feelings, don't you? Every time I'm with you I feel..complete."

Jane stares at her blankly, incapable of saying a word.

"This may be the residual alcohol in my body talking, and I may regret this for my whole life, especially if you decline it, but I can't hold it anymore. Would you go out on a date with me?" Maura is nervously squeezing her hands while talking, and looks at Jane, whose jaw has fallen to the ground in the meantime.

"...Are you serious?" asks Jane after a couple of minutes of silence, which have been excruciating for Maura.

"Of course I am! Do I look like I'm joking right now?"

Jane looks at her friend's outfit. "Well, honestly yes." She smiles, as it occurs to her that she has never seen Maura wearing jeans or (God forbid!) a t-shirt before.

Maura looks down at herself and sighs loudly. "Okay fine, I'm not dressed as I usually do, so? This was all I could grab from your clean laundry basket before you'd get up." she fakes a complaint. "But that is not the point of this conversation. So, do you feel like going out on a date with me or what?" she asks again, all in one breath.

"Well, uhm.. Yes, I suppose.. Yes of course."

Maura frowns. "You don't seem very willing to."

"No, no, it's not that.. You caught me off guard, that's all." Jane smiles, trying to make it up to Maura. "I'd love to go on a date with you Maur."

The blonde smiles and claps like a little kid. "Great! Gosh, I was so nervous you could've said no. I know a nice italian restaurant that I'm sure you'll love." Maura walks towards her friend and places a soft kiss on her cheek. "See you later."

Jane watches her walking towards her desk and sitting down.

She sees Maura smiling while checking the computer and she involuntarily blushes, then exits the lab touching the spot where Maura had just rested her lips on with her fingertips. '_What the hell just happened?!_' she thinks.


	5. Chapter 5

During the whole afternoon Jane can't really concentrate on anything. Maura just asked her out. Maura. Her best friend. And she said yes. How the hell did this happen?

Later that evening, Jane finds herself hating her own wardrobe for the first time in her life.

For some reason she is incredibly nervous about her date and she can't find a piece of clothing that pleases her taste.

Eventually, she chooses a black dress with black pumps, because that's the only dress she ever liked even if she usually hates everything that's not pants. She quickly adjusts her hair before going to open the door, at which Maura has knocked just some seconds before.

"Hey Maur-" Jane's jaw drops a bit as she looks at the friend.

Maura is wearing a flaming red dress that's just tight enough around her breasts to show a bit of cleavage. Her legs are showing in all their perfection and she has a pair of maroon stilettos.

"Jane you look beautiful!" she greets her, kissing her on both cheeks.

The brunette eventually moves and smiles to her friend. "Thanks. You look…_stunning_."

"Wow, thank you." Maura slightly blushes.

After some awkward seconds of silence, Jane fully opens the door. "Come in, would you mind? I just have to find my purse."

"Wow, you actually own a purse? That's surprising. It flatters me that you're using it for our date."

Jane smiles and grabs a clotch from the wardrobe. "Here I am." She is awkwardly standing in front of the couch, waiting for Maura to get up, which the blonde immediately does.

* * *

In the car they don't talk a lot, but as Maura pulls over in front of the restaurant, Jane unfastens her seatbelt and turns to her.

"What is this?"

Maura slowly removes the keys from the dashboard and hints a smile. "What do you mean.."

"Is this.. Are we going on a romantic kind of date?" Jane can feel that she's panicking and tries to breath normally and not get all weird.

"Well, yes, I think so. I mean, that was my idea when I asked you-"

"You slept with a man like..yesterday, Maur. You've always slept with men. What is it now that..you want me?"

Maura sighs, she knew Jane would be confused. "You're right, I did. I always did, because I do am physically attracted to men. But you know.. Since I met you, I..kind of changed my mind, I guess. You happen to have all the things I look for in a partner, and most importantly, in the person I would be comfortable having a relationship with. I never felt as free and relaxed with any men as when I'm with _you_ Jane. You are indeed my best friend, but lately I realized I'm probably looking for more between the two of us. And believe me, all I'm saying it's completely true, otherwise I wouldn't have had the guts to ask you out like I did earlier." Maura looks at her friend intensely and sees that her brown eyes are sparkling in the darkness of the car. "During these years we've worked together I got to know you as the beautiful, smart, funny, and extremely sweet woman that you are and I honestly don't ever have enough of your being next to me everyday. I like you a lot Jane and.. The last men I slept with were just a distraction to take my mind off of you and Casey. There, I said it." Maura places her arms on the wheel and covers her face with her hands.

"Wow." Jane cannot believe what she just heard coming out of her best friend's mouth. "That's..really..wow."

"I'm glad it wowed you, I couldn't keep all of this stuff to myself for a second more." mumbles Maura without raising her head.

"It did wow me, believe me.. Gosh Maura.. I don't know what to say, uhm.."

"Just tell me if you have being feeling the same, or if you ever did. That's all I want to know Jane."

The brunette takes Maura's hands off of her face and smiles sweetly. "Maur, of course I did. I do. I mean.. While Casey was in Afghanistan, I did noticed that I did not really miss him as I should. And I was wondering why, because if I truly loved him.. Well, it turned out I was thinking of you way more than I was thinking of him. I was more willing to spend an evening with you than skyping with him. And whenever you and I were having fun together, he..he just was not in my thoughts, because you were all I really cared about. And holy crap I never ever would've thought that you were feeling the same, like..ever. That's why I never told you, obviously.. Actually I can't believe I'm telling you this now.."

Maura has listened to every word and her eyes are now filling with tears of joy. "Oh my God, is this really happening?" she whispers, a hand half-covering her mouth.

Jane just lets out a nervous laugh. "Yes, I guess it is!" She is going in for a hug, but Maura just gently cups her face and places a sweet lips on Jane's lips.

The brunette stares at her in shock, but she quickly relaxes and responds to the kiss.

"You are amazing Jane Rizzoli." Maura whispers as she parts lips with her friend's.

"No, you are.." she blushes.

Maura taps on her legs. "Well, as much as I would enjoy spending the rest of my evening here with you, I'm afraid we have a reservation."

"God, this whole thing made me starving!" smiles Jane, opening the door of the car.

As they both get out, Jane takes Maura's hand, entwining her fingers with her friend's.

"Let's go."

Maura smiles at her, and the two walk towards the restaurant door, their hands holding tight and not willing to part anytime soon.

* * *

Dinner is fabulous and either Maura and Jane cannot get their minds off of each other during the whole meal. Their hands never stop touching and playing on the table while they talk about their lives, their best college memories, their dreams for the future.

"You have never been to Paris? Really?" asks a surprised Maura, as she pours some red wine into her glass. "But that's like having never seen the ocean!"

Jane bits her lip. "Well.."

"I'm gonna bring you there one day. _Oh my God.._" When Maura's tipsy, her Boston accent kicks in and Jane finds it absolutely adorable.

The waiter brings them their desserts: millefoglie cake for Maura and chocolate mousse for Jane.

The blonde starts eating taking a piece of her cake with the fork, carefully trying not to disintegrate the whole slice.

"God you're beautiful." Jane hears herself say, while staring at her. Maura visibly blushes and gets up from her seat to reach the bench Jane was sitting on. Then she gently takes place next to her.

"I can't believe this is happening." she whispers, her head resting on Jane's shoulder.

"Tell me about it!"

Maura giggles and eats a spoonful of Jane's mousse. "Mmh, this stuff is _delicious_," she says, her mouth still half full.

"Really?"

The blonde swallows and smiles. "Yeah, it's really good."

"Lemme try then.." Jane leans in for a kiss and Maura drops the spoon surprised. "You're right, it's yummy."

"I know." Maura smiles and gets back to her seat. "I'd say we finish here and then we go home and, I don't know, have a beer.."

"I'm in whenever beer's mentioned! Also my feet really hurt." grimaces Jane.

"That's because you wear those combat boots everyday. If you'd give heels a try and let you feet get used to them, it would be a matter of days before-"

"Maur, gimme a break, I'm so not wearing heels to work."

The blonde smirks and shakes her head. "You're impossible."

"No, you are." smiles Jane.

* * *

"It's all so surreal, isn't it?" Jane says, while they're snuggling on Maura's couch.

"Well a bit, yes. I mean I've often fantasized about sitting here with you without holding myself back if I wanted to hug you, or play with your hair.. I mean that's not regular BFF stuff. I was afraid I'd creeped you out if I did any of that."

"Maybe," Jane smiles, playing with Maura's fingers. "I am still waiting to wake up and realize this was all a dream."

"Gosh, have I pulled romantic Jane out of the closet?" smirks Maura.

"You have." The brunette looks at her friend's face. "It's like, just two days ago I would never have thought.. I mean are we actually dating? I feel like I'm hardcore drunk on excitement."

Maura throws her head back in laughter, showing her perfect teeth and soft lips.

"You're so gorgeous." whispers Jane while she looks at her.

"My God Jane stop, it's the third time this evening, you make me blush like a kid."

"I'm sorry, is it my fault that you're so pretty?"

Maura throws a cushion right on Jane's face. "Stop!" she laughs.

"You stop!" Jane blocks her friend's wrists and starts tickling her hips.

"No, no, no come on Jane, you know I'm so ticklish!" she laughs. "Pleeeease! Please!"

Eventually Jane stops, but remains on top of Maura, who was almost laying on the couch. They stare at each other in awe for some seconds, then Jane leans in for a kiss. A simple, sweet kiss on Maura's lips, at which the blonde runs her hands on Jane's back.

Things are getting deeper, Jane can feel it, so she breaks the kiss and gets up, followed by Maura.

"It's kinda late. I think I have to go. I still have to walk Jo Friday and do laundry." she smiles.

Maura gets it, it has been a pretty full evening for both of them, maybe it's better to pause at this moment for now. "Sure." she says, walking her friend to the door.

"It's been a fantastic evening Maur."

"Indeed it has. Thank you Jane."

"Thank you." She grabs the blonde's hips and pulls her closer for a goodnight kiss. "Sleep tight."

"See you tomorrow."

Jane walks outside, then she remembers she doesn't have her car. "Shit.. Maur can I get your car to go home? I'll pick you up tomorrow morning with it."

Maura tosses her the keys. "'night Jane!"

The brunette blinks. "Goodnight babe!"


	6. Chapter 6

The following morning the two women arrive at work together, they have breakfast at the Division One Café together and then Jane walks Maura to the autopsy room.

"Alright, I gotta go check on Frankie and Frost, they texted me they're working on something and they need my help.."

"Okaaay.." Maura puts her bag on the table and turns her computer on. "So I guess I'll see you later?"

"Sure. I think it's the first time I truly hope someone gets killed so I can spend some time down here with you." smirks the brunette.

Maura tries to hold a giggle. "Don't say that, come on.. You can come down here whenever you want anyway."

Jane pulls her closer and surrounds her waist with her arms. The blonde doctor smiles and leans in for a kiss, her hands dangling behind Jane's neck.

* * *

"So what's up?" Jane enters the office were Frost is typing frenetically on his laptop and Frankie is analyzing some documents.

"Finally!" her brother sighs as he sees her.

"Come on I'm not late or anything! I had things to do! What do we have here?"

"Yeah, as if I haven't seen you all chitty-chatty with Maura at the café!" he mocks her.

"We had to talk about things! Hey, since when do you spy on me?" she asks, sitting at her desk.

"I wasn't spying on you… I was spying on her." he whispers as a tall blonde woman enters the room with Korsak.

"Thank you for your time miss."

"Oh anytime, I really wish I could've helped more but.."

"You did help a lot, believe me. Now if you'll excuse me.." Korsak hints at Jane then he walks back out.

The blonde woman walks towards her and smiles. "You must be detective Jane Rizzoli..?"

"That's me, yes.. Who-"

"My name is Margaret Lee. I reported a missing person this morning, my..husband."

Jane frowned. "Oh, I'm so sorry."

"It's okay. Detective Korsak took all the information down and said I could speak to you if I needed anything.."

"Indeed you can, sure. Uhm.. Take a seat, please."

"Thank you." The woman sits down at Jane's desk and blows her nose. "My husband and I.. We fought, two days ago. He cheated on me and I..let's say caught him in the fact.. That night I went to sleep at my mother's with the kids and the following day, yesterday, I went back home to talk and he was gone. I've tried to reach him but his cellphone is turned off, he doesn't return e-mails, I called everyone that could have known him.. He has just disappeared. I don't know what to do.."

Jane touches her arm sweetly. "I'm so sorry miss Lee. I promise you we'll do everything we can to find your husband. Actually, if you can give me your number, we'll be sure to let you know whenever we find anything new." She hands her a piece of paper and a pen, and Margaret writes something down.

"I'm scared, detective. I can't do it alone with two kids. My oldest, Cathy, she has down syndrome. She needs my full attention and I cannot give it to her if no one's helping me with my one-year-old." Her voice was shaking. "Please, find my husband. He can't leave us like this."

"I promise I'll do whatever it takes."

The blonde smiles weakly and thanks her another couple of times before leaving the building. Jane watches her walking away: that poor woman really looks overwhelmed. Her hair is roughly tied up in a bun, her coat is ripped on the sleeve and poorly resewed, she even has a brownish stain on the heel of her white shoe. The detective feels bad for her.

"Wow, what an asshole." says Frankie as Jane gets back in. "Cheating on her wife and leaving her the following day? With two kids?"

"Yeah, he must be a real dick." Jane checks her phone. "Don't we have any case yet?"

Frost gets his eyes off of the computer screen for the first time today. "What do you mean? A wife comes here and says her husband dumped her and their two children for another woman after he's been caught cheating on her, doesn't this sound like a case?" he laughs.

"Yeah sure.. I meant some homicide or something.. That's what we usually do, you know," says Jane, annoyed.

Frost and Frankie look at each other smirking.

"Janie, are you sure you're okay?"

She looks at her brother raising an eyebrow. "What? Of course I'm okay! Ugh.. I'm gonna go look for Korsak, we have to find this guy.. See you later guys."

* * *

Later that afternoon Jane finally manages to go to the lab and finds Maura looking into her microscope.

"Hey."

The doctor raises her head and smiles. "Hi! What's up?"

"Eh, nothing much.. Pretty boring day, apart from this woman that came in to report that her husband was missing."

"Missing?"

"Yeah, we don't really know! I mean, she said they fought two days ago because she had caught him while he was cheating on her.. Now she's alone with her two kids because her husband disappeared in a matter of one night! What a dick.." Jane sits on an autopsy table. "What have you been up to?"

"Nothing much just checking body parts here and there.." Maura smiles. "Any plans for the night?" she smirks.

"Actually no.. Unless you wanted to come over and, I don't know, watch a movie."

"I'd love to!" Maura is about to walk to Jane when the detective's phone buzzes.

"Ugh, it's Korsak.. My place at..whenever we finish work?"

"Sure."

Jane kisses Maura's cheek as she goes out. "Bye."

* * *

Maura knocks at Jane's door at nine sharp.

"It's open, come in!" yells Jane from the kitchen, her hands full trying to hold three jars of ice-cream and two spoons without dropping anything on the floor.

"You know, you shouldn't leave your door open, it's-"

"I did it because I knew you would've arrived soon. Plus, I have a gun, so-" a spoon falls on the floor. "Shit. Could you help me with these?"

Maura takes two of the jars from her friend's hands and Jane closes the refrigerator and takes a new spoon. "Good thing is, we have ice-cream."

Maura smiles and pops a jar open.

"Bad thing is, we don't have a table, because mine is full of papers and stuff about that missing guy."

"I'll help you collect them," smiles Maura, starting to pile all the documents. As Jane moves one stack onto a chair, a picture slips out of a folder and Maura picks it up: She's about to hand it to Jane, when something catches her eye.

"Jane.."

"Yes?"

"Who…Who are these people?"

"Oh, the woman that came today gave it to me. That's her, these are their kids, and that's the now-missing husband. Why? Do you know them?" she asks.

Maura staggers on her feet and Jane takes her arm to prevent her from falling. "Maur, are you okay?"

"It's.. Did you say she caught him while he was cheating on her two days ago?"

"Yeah, that's what she-" Jane freezes.

Maura slowly sits down on the couch, the picture still firmly held in her hands.

"Maura, is that.."

"That's Sean." The blonde covers her mouth with a hand. "Oh my God.."


	7. Chapter 7

Jane sits next to her and takes her hand.

"I did this.."

"Maura don't. Don't even think about blaming yourself for this."

The blonde's eyes are visibly filling with tears, her sight is blurring and she feels like the world is falling into pieces around her. "He left her alone with two kids.. Jane, I can't not blame myself! It's.. Oh my God.."

Jane hugs her and holds her tight for some minutes, her t-shirt getting wet with Maura's tears. "Maur.."

"Jane, you have to find him. You have to, I can't believe he did this.."

"I promise I'll find him. I promise. But please, don't stress out for this now-"

"HOW CAN I NOT? I hooked up with my college boyfriend and ruined a family! It's my fault!"

"It's not!" Jane grabs her friend's shoulder and slightly shakes her. "You did not know that he had a family. You just wanted some fun, he is the dick of the situation, not you!"

Maura stands up from the couch and goes to the window. Jane can see her shoulders going up and down, she is still crying.

"Baby-" she tries, but her phone goes off. "Ugh.. Rizzoli? ..Yes..no, I'm not- Alright, alright, I'll be there in a minute. Maura's with me, we're on our way."

The blonde turns to her. "Homicide?"

"Korsak thinks they've found Sean."

Maura's eyes get wider. "They have? Really? Where is he? Let's go get-"

"No, Maura.. They found a body.. They think it's Sean, but.."

"Oh no.. No.." Maura covers her face with her hands.

"They're not sure.. You know I would call Pike, but you're the only one that can state if it actually is him.. Do you feel like going?"

"I have to." Maura cries.

* * *

The body Korsak and his team found in a dumpster is now laid on the sidewalk, still half wrapped up in an enormous black plastic bag.

Jane parks the car near the crime scene and helps Maura get out of the car on her vertiginous heels, then takes her hand walking towards the corpse.

Maura slowly bents on him and pulls the plastic away from his face. There is blood all over the upper half of his body, but the features are perfectly recognizable.

Maura runs a gloved hand over his cheek. "It's him," she turns to Jane. To distract herself, she immediately starts studying the body.

"He's been dead for approximately 24 hours." she says, then she examines the fatal wound: a deep hole right into his throat, that either bled him to death or made him choke on his own blood. "It looks like he's been hit by a pointed, maybe sharp object. Bigger than a nail or a stylet though. I really cannot tell.."

"It's okay Maur.. We'll bring him in so you can do the autopsy tomorrow."

"No Jane, I have to do it now."

"Maura, you're tired-"

"I can't waste any time! I need to find what happened to him. Please, let me do it now."

Jane looks at her friend in the eyes, she is begging her. "Okay. But I'll stay up with you."

"You don't have to-"

"Put up or shut up."

Maura made a face. "Alright."

* * *

Three hours later Jane leaves the autopsy room to go get some coffee, but as soon as she walks past the door she hears Maura yelling.

"Jane! Jane I got it! It's a heel!"

The detective runs back inside the room and looks at Maura, who's holding a tiny dark thing in her hand.

"A heel? What do you mean?"

Maura runs towards her. "See this? It's a fragment of a shoe sole. Not any sole though. You see how it's kind of reddish?"

"Maura, it's covered in blood!"

"No, no, look in here," the doctor pulls her friend's head near the microscope. "See the fibers? They are red. And there's only one brand of shoes which produces red soled pumps: Christian Louboutin."

Jane raises her head. "Okay, so.. Why was there a fragment of a whatever-that-is inside the victim's wound?"

"Well, you know I don't guess.."

"Maura, I've not agreed that you'd do an autopsy in the middle of the night to hear you say that you won't guess."

The blonde sighs. "It's very likely that the wound has been originated by a shoe heel."

"You mean.. Someone shove a heel deep into his neck?" Jane's face turns to a grimace of disgust. "My God, how is that even possible!"

"Well, if a person is precise enough, a shoe heel can definitely make a whole in your throat and penetrate your trachea. It's only a question of strength and-"

"Alright, alright, I got it." Jane sits on the free autopsy table, thinking about how she can tell something like that to Margaret. The scenes of that morning run into his mind: how upset that poor lady looked, how overturned her appearance was..

The detective jumps down the table, giving Maura a start.

"It's her!" she says.

"Her who- What are you talking about Jane?"

"The wife, Margaret! She was wearing high heeled shoes when she came to report Sean's disappearance! I remember watching her walking away, one of her heels was stained with some brownish stuff!"

"Oh my God!" Maura is shocked. "Again, I hate to guess, but it really looks like-"

"-she killed him!"

Jane runs towards the offices to call Korsak and Maura throws away her gloves and follows her.

* * *

Two hours later, Margaret is on house arrest, not in jail yet only because she needed to take care of her kids. Jane and Korsak had knocked at her door around midnight and it did not take much before she confessed the whole thing. She was sick of his husband's continuous cheating and sleeping around, so in a moment of blind rage she "stabbed" his throat with all she could find handy, her shoe.

Jane and Maura head back to Jane's house around 3 in the morning.

"What. A. Night." The blonde lets herself fall on the couch and closes her eyes.

"Tell me about it," Jane takes two cold bottles of beer from the fridge, then walks to the couch and hands one of them to Maura.

"Thank you," the doctor doesn't open the bottle and places it right on her forehead. "It's cold. I like it."

Jane smiles, sipping some beer. She leans her head on her right arm and just watches her girlfriend shivering because of the freezing bottle on her head. "How are you feeling?"

"I don't know. A mixture between guilty and relieved. Relieved that he was not the one who ran away from his family. But still.."

"Maura, I don't know how to tell you this with easier words: it was not your fault."

The blonde opens the bottle and drinks a long sip. "Maybe you're right."

"Sure as hell I am."

The two women remain sit for some minutes, then Maura feels Jane's hand on her thigh.

"You've been incredibly strong today. Just another proof of how perfect you are and why I like you so much."

Maura feels like melting, and flashes to Jane the first smile of the day. "I'm so grateful to have you near me Jane."

The brunette smiles as well. "By the way, I've never started a relationship with a homicide just two days in," she jokes.

Maura put her hand's on Jane's. "A relationship. Wow, things are getting real here."

"Do you like reality?" smirks Jane.

"Very much so." answers Maura, leaning in for a kiss. "In fact, I don't think I could be any happier."


	8. Chapter 8

_A couple of weeks later._

It's only 6 in the morning and Jane is ready to leave for a run. Obviously, it has been Maura's idea to go jogging before work, but Jane is actually starting to enjoy these morning runs with her girlfriend, even though she will never admit it out loud.

The honey blonde doctor comes out of the bathroom wearing a pair of tight black leggings and a green sports bra.

"Let's go?" she smiles.

"Yeah, no, you're wearing a t-shirt if you want to go jogging with me."

Maura frowns. "But it's boiling outside! I will only be hotter.. And this is a sports bra, it's been made for this purpose."

"No way. You're supposed to wear it instead of your bra when you do sports. So, under a t-shirt." Jane remains on the doorway, without letting her girlfriend out. "I don't want people to stare at you.." she mumbles.

Maura smirks seductively. "I will only put something on because you're adorable when you are jealous."

"I'm not jealous!"

"Oh okay, then I won't need to wear anything-"

"I'm extremely jealous. Now go put a shirt on, we're already late."

Maura gives her the tongue and goes into her bedroom to pick a t-shirt, then the two women head out of the house.

* * *

After about one hour the two women are back home just in time to take a shower and have some breakfast before going to work.

"Do you want to go first?" asks Maura as she inserts the keys into the keyhole of her door.

"We should save some water and just go in together," whispers Jane leaning closer to kiss her girlfriend's ear.

Maura opens the door with a giggle. "No, stop it, I'm all sweaty!"

"You're not," Jane kicks the door closed as she pulls the doctor inside and surrounds her waist with her arms. "You are always fresh and smell like sweetness even after a run. How do you do that?"

"Silly.." Maura kisses the detective's nose tip, then crushes onto her mouth. "It's hard to hold back at work," she whispers breathlessly, in between kisses.

"I know.." Jane takes Maura's t-shirt over her head gently, kissing every single inch of her torso.

"We'll be late to work.." the blonde moans, not really meaning any of those words.

"You're beautiful.." Jane lifts Maura grabbing her from the thighs and walks towards the bathroom as the doctor giggles amused.

Maura doesn't have much of a chance to decide, so Jane drags her into the shower with most of her clothes still on.

"At least let me get undressed." the blonde says as her girlfriend puts her down.

"I can help with that," says Jane as she pulls her tee over her head and balls it up tossing it next to the door, immediately making her pants and underwear join the heap.

"Yeah, but you're not throwing my stuff over there like it's rag," the doctor smiles and she lowers her pants.

"Sorry," Jane jumps into the shower and seizes Maura's neck, causing the blonde to toss her clothes outside the cabin with a gasp.

"Jane!" she moans as the brunette grazes her lip with her teeth, biting it softly. Maura moves to give her more space, but she hits the tap and cold water make the two of them jump, but neither of them is willing to part lips from each other.

Their bodies feel so good together, their breathing has perfect synchronicity. Their hips, their hands, their tongues, they belong one another.

* * *

Nearly an hour later, Maura literally drags Jane out of the shower.

"Baaaabyyy, come on! I do want to eat something before we go to work! It's laaate!" she pulls her girlfriend's arm with a hand and grabs clean towels with the other. "Here," she wraps one of them around Jane's body, then rolls a smaller one around her wet hair.

"I don't want to go to work," the detective grunts, rubbing herself dry. "Not when I could lay in bed all day snuggling with you."

Maura can't hold back a giggle and hugs Jane sweetly, resting her head on the hollow between her shoulder and her neck, and the brunette kisses her forehead.

"What do you want for breakfast?" asks Maura while getting dressed.

"Is 'you' an option?" smirks Jane.

"No, it's not," answers the blonde maliciously.

"Then.. You have normal coffee right?"

"If with 'normal' you mean instant.." Jane is already about to puff, but Maura cuts her. "Then yes, I started keeping some in my cupboard since I started dating a low-quality-caffeine-addict." she smiles.

Jane would answer back, but she finds it way to sweet that her girlfriend started keeping instant just for her. "I love you."

Maura turned her head to her, her green eyes sparkling with love. "I love you too baby."

* * *

The day at work was pretty plain: no homicides, just a missing six-year-old boy that eventually turned up to have walked from the park where he was with his mother to his favorite toy store all by himself.

"You should've seen how the boy's mom's eyes sparkled when she got into our office and saw her son," says Jane as she closes the door of her apartment behind her. "It was like I could feel the love she felt for him, you know? It was great." The detective sits on the couch and takes off her combat boots, kicking them under the small table.

"What are you trying to say there, Detective?" smirks Maura, sitting next to her and unzipping her high heeled boots. Ever since she started dating Jane, she got the habit of taking off her shoes as soon as she gets home, she finds it cozy.

"What do you mean? I was just saying," answers Jane, not really looking into her girlfriend's eyes.

"Never forget I'm kind of an expert in body language. Scratching your neck, avoiding eye-contact.. Are you hiding something?"

Jane turns to her trying to prove her wrong, but her whole face blushes as she meets Maura's piercing green eyes. "I just can't wait to have one of my own."

Maura nestles again Jane's body, forcing the brunette to remove her arm from its original position and wrap it around her shoulder.

"What would you prefer?" asks the doctor, leaning her head on Jane's chest.

"You mean boy or girl?"

"No, I mean beer or wine."

Jane looks at her weirdly and Maura slaps her leg softly. "Of course I mean boy or girl, silly!"

The detective giggles and pulls her girlfriend closer. "I don't know.. I think girl. Yeah, definitely girl. And you?"

"I never said I wanted children."

"Aw come on, I see you when you're with TJ. You love him. What would you prefer?"

Maura bites her lip. "A girl. No, a boy. I don't really care. I've never seen myself as a possible mom, probably because I didn't trust my partner before.."

Jane turns to her, their noses almost touching. "Do you trust me?"

"Of course I do, you're my better half. My perfect match." smiles Maura, taking Jane's hand.

Jane leans over and kisses the corner of her mouth. "Well, good, because my mom wants more grandchildren."

She feels Maura smiling in the kiss, her perfect teeth brushing against her lip: In that moment Maura is all she cares about, her universe. Her beautiful, perfect little universe.


	9. Chapter 9

**I'M SO INCREDIBLY SORRY IT TOOK ME SO MUCH TO WRITE THIS.**  
**On the bright side, I have so much ready to be published and I promise I'll be quicker!**  
**Thank you guys for your patience xxx**

* * *

After having dinner at a nice restaurant for their one-month-anniversary, Jane and Maura head to the detective's apartment, where Maura will hopefully spend the night, their first night together.

The doctor is washing some fruit while her girlfriend is in the bathroom and she can't help smiling thinking of how lucky she is to have found her soulmate.

"It's crazy how it's already been a month." Jane whispers into Maura's ear, hugging her from behind.

"Why do you say it's crazy?" she giggles, picking grapes off.

"Well," the detective moves Maura's hair away from her face. "Because I'm already ridiculously in love with you, Maura Isles."

The blonde turns around to face her. "Nothing really ridiculous about that," she blushes in her adorable way and bits her lip. "Because I'm madly in love with you too, Jane Rizzoli. And it feels like I always did." She takes Jane's hands from her hips and entwines her fingers with hers.

"Really?"

"Really."

"I love you," Jane's lips crush on Maura's so violently that the blonde almost loses balance on her high heels. Luckily Jane is holding her tight, both hands running on Maura's back, and the doctor's fingers immediately tangle into the detective's dark curls.

Jane raises Maura on the counter of her kitchen without breaking the kiss, the blonde's legs wrapped around her body.

Maura kicks away her pumps and Jane begins to unbutton her girlfriend's shirt, but when she's halfway into it she hears the door open.

"Janie, it's me!" Angela enters the apartment but doesn't look at them yet, and Maura immediately freezes, her lips still on Jane's neck.

"Maura's not home yet, I brought you some cookies and I thought we-" Angela looses the ability to speak as she sees what she has just interrupted.

"Hey…Ma'…" Jane breaks the ice, thinking that it couldn't be more embarrassing than it already is.

"Hi, Angela..." Maura follows her girlfriend's idea, as she slowly takes her legs off of Jane's hips and does her best to button her shirt up.

"Oh my.." Angela looks at the floor, then looks back at them. "You two are.. Oh God.. I should've knocked.." she turns around to get out, but Jane stops her.

"No, Ma', I'm sorry.. I should- We should've told you."

"Yes, definitely," Maura climbs down the counter helped by Jane. "We would have, very soon, we just..needed to feel the right moment."

Angela closes the door again. "Is the right moment now?"

"We'll make it be," smiles Jane. "It's been a month..today, actually, since we've started seeing each other, like, in a romantic way.."

Angela sits down on the couch. "I can't say I'm not surprised.."

"I'm sorry Angela." Maura sits next to her. "We did not mean to lie to you. We just needed time to figure out-"

"But I'm not mad at you two," Angela cuts her, smiling. "It's just..I did not expect this. At all."

Jane steps towards her, grinding her teeth nervously. "I'm so sorry Ma'. We just.. We are in love." she sighs out, as Maura feels her heart punching hard against her chest at the word 'love'.

"If.. If you two make each other happy, I'm..I'm so glad." She is about to cry of course, she is very emotional.

"Oh Ma'.." Jane sits and hugs her tight, and Maura wipes away a small tear from her cheek.

"You couldn't pick for better Janie. And you, Maura.." She hugs the blonde, whispering into her ear. "No wonder you were not home yet."

Maura laughs and Angela stands up. "Well, indeed I better be going." She walks to the door. "I just can't believe that you two.. God. I'm so happy."

As Angela closes the door, Jane throws herself on the couch, where Maura is still sitting.

"Oh my God what the hell has just happened?!"

Maura smirks. "I think we just came out to someone for the first time. I can't believe how happy she was."

"Jesus Christ, was that my mother for real?"

The doctor burst into laughter. "I think it was!"

They lay there for some minutes, then Maura feels a hand running on her leg.

Jane smiles. "Where were we?"

"On the counter," the blonde smirks, flirtatious.

Jane lifts her girlfriend from the couch, and drags her directly to the bedroom to finish what they'd started.

* * *

Not fully undressed yet, Maura rocks herself against her girlfriend, kissing her neck as Jane unclamps her bra.

The blonde is only in her panties and is about to straddle the detective, who watches her figure from the bed like mesmerized.

"You're a dream," she whispers as the blonde cups her face with her hands and pecks her cheekbone.

"I've never felt so at home like I do in this exact moment. I've never felt so happy and comfortable." Maura drags her lips over the detective's collarbone, pulling her shirt with her teeth.

Jane feels like she's about to let herself go, but not just yet.

"Maur.."

The blonde immediately stops, the tone of Jane's voice alarming her. "What?"

"I've never..done this.." Jane swallows and places a hand on Maura's bare thigh. "With..a woman."

The doctor smiles sweetly and kisses her girlfriend again. "It doesn't matter. Just love me, love me like you never did before."

Jane melts at the sound of her voice, which is deep and sensual. "I love you." she whispers.

"I know you do, sweet girl."

* * *

"Here they are!" Angela smiles at Maura, handing her and Jane two plates with heart-shaped pancakes on them. The Division Café is not crowded that morning and everyone seems to be in a good mood, Jane and Maura in the first place.

"Thanks Angela," the doctor kisses her on both cheeks, very italian. "Mmh, it smells delicious."

Jane smiles sweetly. "Baby, can you bring mine to the table for me? I'll be there in a minute."

"Sure," the blonde takes both plates and Jane watches her walking away.

"Mom, about yesterday night.." she turns to Angela, serious.

Her mother comes out from behind the counter and takes her daughter's hands. "Don't say anything. I'm so happy you found each other Jane. I'm serious, I felt that chemistry between you two the very first day I met Maura, and I never thought it would actually, you know.." she smiles, her blue eyes warming Jane's heart.

"I do love her Ma'."

"I can tell. It was about time for you to find someone like her."

Jane, despite herself, hugs Angela so tight that her mother is the one who needs to break the hold to breathe.

"I love you, Janie."

"Thank you mom. I love you too."

"What's with all the hugging?" Korsak has entered the café for a cappuccino and reaches the two women near the counter.

"Just some good family talk," winks Angela. "The usual Vince?"

"Thank you, Ang." He turns to Jane, as Angela disappears in the kitchen. "What's up?"

Jane smiles. "The day just started in the best of ways."

"Well..Glad to hear that."

The detective smirks and walks to the table where Maura sits eating her pancake.

"Sorry I didn't wait for you sweetheart, Susie just paged me, we have incoming results on yesterday's case that I have to check on," she gets up and walks to her girlfriend. "See you later okay?"

Jane gently pulled the collar of her blouse and placed a soft kiss on her lips, quick enough to not be seen by anyone.

"Mmm, sweet," she says smiling.

"Thank you."

"No, you had syrup on you lips."

Maura chuckles. "I love you."

* * *

"Frost, have you seen Maura around?" says Jane as she enters their office, a couple of hours later.

"Nope, I thought she was with you.. Cavanaugh is looking for her too, he needs to know the results that toxicology sent in this morning before sending the suspect in for the interview," he says, getting up from his desk.

"But Maura went downstairs after breakfast to check on those results.. Susie just called me because she hasn't seen her yet.. And she's not in her office, either.."

Jane pulls out her phone and presses the number one of her speed dials, but Maura doesn't answer.

"Fuck.." she mutters, as she runs to the autopsy room for the third time that day.

"Dr. Isles is not here detective, again, I can't find her anywhere." Susie forestalls her.

Jane is starting to feel anxiety and concern in her stomach. She can't be gone, she would've told her if she was.. Jane feels like something is wrong and she finds upsetting that she cannot understands what it is.

'_Maur where the hell are you? Im worried. Call me_' she texts, but a second after she hears a buzz nearby. She walks slowly into Maura's office and she sees her bag on the desk, her phone lightening from the pocket. She unlocks it: "_3 unread messages and 1 missed call from: My Love_". Jane cracks a smile as she reads what her girlfriend named her on her phone.

"Where the hell is doctor Isles?!" Cavanaugh has come down to the autopsy room yelling, giving Jane a start.

"I've been looking for her, sir.." the detective tries.

"I don't care! I asked for those results more than two hours ago! They took the suspects back to jail because we did not have our results back yet!" He's furious, he hates when people are late, mostly when it's people that are good at their jobs.

"I'm so sorry sir. I'm sure she'll-"

"She'll better have the greatest of excuses. I'm out of here."

As Cavanaugh gets into the elevator, Jane swears under her breath. She's just about to get out herself, when she runs into a breathless Maura who's walking into the room, dumping against her shoulder.

"Maur?! What the hell, where have you been?"

"Oh, Jane. Nothing, I was just..uhm, honey I really have to-"

"Cavanaugh is pissed like hell! He had to let the suspect go because he didn't get the results-"

"I know Jane! I know! I know, sorry. I'm here now. And I'm going to work on that, if you don't mind.."

The doctor tries to slip into her office, but Jane grabs her wrist. "Maur, what happened?"

"Jane I just went to the pharmacy to get some painkillers okay? I have a headache, that's all! Now let me.." she wiggles her arm and tries to walk inside her office. "Jane, let me go!"

The detective immediately opens her hand, letting Maura's wrist free. The make eye-contact for half a second, then she sees the blonde quickly reaching for her office, closing the door behind her.


	10. Chapter 10

Saying that Jane is shocked would be an euphemism, but despite herself she lets Maura cool off for some time, until later that evening, when in the Police Department there's only them and some janitors and she decides to go talk to Maura.

"Can I come in?" the detective knocks at the door gently.

Maura immediately turns her head to her, and nods, too ashamed by herself to actually say anything.

Jane walks in slowly, and leans on the wall next to Maura's desk.

The doctor turns her computer off and gets up, smoothing her wrinkled dress.

"So?" Jane is always the first one breaking the ice when something bad happens between them, even before they were together.

"I don't even know where to start." admits Maura, incapable of looking her girlfriend straight in the eyes.

"Why don't you begin with telling me where the hell have you been this morning?" The brunette softens her tone. "I was truly worried, Maur."

"I told you, I went to get some pain killers. I am having severe headaches lately, I just wanted to be sure I got something that was strong enough to help me deal with them."

"And it took you two hours?"

"I..met someone?" The sentence sounds more like a question to herself, and the doctor immediately hears from her own voice how bad she is at lying.

"I..I felt sick on the way back here."

"You felt sick? Maura why didn't you-"

"_Because_ it was nothing! I promise you, I just felt a little dizzy and that's all. I didn't want you to worry." Maura walked slowly towards her. "But I'm sorry.."

Jane bites the inside of her cheek. Maura is like that, she knows it. She never tells people when she needs help, because she wants to prove she's strong enough, mainly to herself. And Jane's too tired to respond to this. She feels like there's something else Maura's keeping from her. But she doesn't want to push her.

"I know you're sorry. But Maura, you see… I love you, and I want to know when you're not okay. It's not wrong to ask for help, baby girl, mostly to me." She takes the doctor's hands in hers, squeezing them softly. "I want you to fully trust me. I need to know that you feel safe with me, that you feel free to talk to me. I want you to. I'm here with you and for you, only for you."

Maura's eyes quickly fill up with tears. "Jane stop.. I don't deserve you, I really don't."

"And that's where you're completely wrong. You deserve every beautiful thing in this world. And even if you didn't deserve me, I am too in love with you to let you go Maura. I've waited too long for this, I don't want to waste any second of my time not being with you."

She surround's Maura's waist with her arms. "Would you please, please promise me you won't be afraid to ask for help from now on? Please?"

Maura looks directly into her girlfriend's chocolate eyes, and presses her lips against hers, strongly, demanding, in desperate need to taste her. "I will..try."

"That's a good start."

"I am so sorry Jane."

"I love you Maur."

The blonde kisses Jane again and again, her hands traveling around her body, delicate but needy.

"Let's go home, golden girl." The detective pulls her sweetly, and Maura quickly grabs her purse without taking her eyes off of her beautiful Jane.

* * *

The following day, at 8:00 am, Maura Isles enters her office, tosses her Prada bag on the desk and and turns the computer on.

She yawns loudly and stretches her arms before typing in her password and checking her e-mail.

"Need a coffee?" Jane stands on the frame of the door, two plastic cups in her hands and a playful grin on her lips.

Maura jumps at her voice, but immediately turns to her smiling. "Actually yes. I haven't slept much." She walks towards Jane and takes the coffee from her hand. The brunette remains still and Maura looks at her intensely. Her curls are still a bit wet from the shower, she smells like coconut and mint. Maura leans over for a simple and careful kiss, standing on her tippy toes.

"Sorry I didn't let you sleep much."

"Apologies accepted." whispers the blonde before grazing her girlfriend's neck.

"Hey, slow down, Frost is coming downstairs to give me news on those prints, he could be here-"

"-any moment, I know." Maura parted her lips from Jane's and licked them like if she had just tasted a delicious cake. "God forbid he finds out about us. As if those hickeys were hard to notice," she giggles, pointing at Jane's neck.

The detective instinctively covers her neck with a hand. "Really? Damn, I thought they would have been gone by now."

Maura smirks seductively. "It's hard to resist the urge of kissing you wherever and whenever I want." she complains, putting the coffee cup on the table without touching it.

"I know baby, but what can we do..."

Jane watches her girlfriend while she sighs and looks down. "We could tell them, for example. Let everybody know."

"Maur, you know that it's not that I don't want people to know about us because I'm afraid or something. It's just.. Relationships at work don't sound good to outsiders. Believe me, it's better to keep this for ourselves."

"Korsak and Frost are not outsiders Jane. Nor are Frankie or Tommy."

"Well.. Let's say I need some time then. Can I have some time?" scoffs the detective, looking around hoping to find something that would change the topic of the conversation.

"But I don't wanna hide forever!" Maura steps back irritated.

"Well that is not what I said!"

"Oh really? So you are planning on quitting the job? Because I don't! And since you want to hide while we both work here..."

Jane tries to touch her arm but Maura turns around and walks towards a small tray and pretends to tidy up her already super organized tools.

"Maura..."

"No Jane. See.. This two months have been the happiest of my life, because of you. But now I really need to ask you a favor." Maura pauses, breathing slowly. "I need stability Jane. Now more than ever." Her sight blurs, and she looks down.

Jane walks towards her. "Not telling people _yet _about our relationship does not threaten it. I want to be with you, I don't care if-" She looks at her face, worried. "Maura are you crying?"

The blonde immediately turns away from her girlfriend. "No, I'm not."

"Okay, so you're sweating from your eyes."

Maura can't help but smile, Jane always makes her smile.

She turns to her and grimaces. "It's the hormones."

Jane raises an eyebrow. "Hormones..alright. What's going on here?"

Maura turns again, trying to avoid her girlfriend's eyes, but Jane raises her chin with two fingers.

"Baby, what's going on?"

Maura opens her mouth, but makes no sound. Jane adjusts a lock of her girlfriend's golden hair and Maura tries to speak calmly. "I recently noticed some changes in my body. My breasts are swollen, I've had migraines, nausea and..there also might be a missing period..."

Jane stares at her blankly.

"I think I might be pregnant."

* * *

"Whoah, whoah, easy there! Pregnant? What.. You know that for that kind of stuff is required a man right? You can't be pregnant, we've been.." Jane freezes.

Maura hides her face into her hands again, to swallow the tears.

"Maura...did you cheat on me?"

The blonde's head immediately turns to her, eyes wide open in shock. "What?! No! No, no, that's not what I'm saying!"

Jane is about to lose her mind when she remembers that her girlfriend is the worst liar, so she is probably telling her the truth.

Maura sighs and starts playing with her ring finger, like she always does when she's nervous. "Do you remember Sean?"

Jane nods, incapable of saying a word.

"I thought about that night, and it occurred to me that we were not using any protection…"

Jane gasped. "Maura?! _You_, forgetting about protections?!"

"Jane, it had been the worst day ever, for Christ's sake! Seeing you and Casey together again some days before even though for the tiniest bit.. It really bummed me out, okay? I was not in my right mind.. I just needed distraction and Sean seemed to have had the perfect timing with his black tea."

Jane took Maura's hand. "Seeing me and Casey, that was what made you feel bad? God you should've told me.."

"Jane, come on, how could I tell you? And I'm not blaming you for this, that's not what I'm saying!"

"No, but I can't help feeling miserable about.. Fuck.."

"Language!"

Jane scoffs irritated, then sighs and passes a hand through her tangled hair. "Have you had a test yet?"

Maura reaches for her purse and gets a small box out of it. "Not yet."

"Well, what about doing it now then?" Jane starts to rip the packaging, but Maura stops her hand.

"What if I am pregnant?"

"I don't know Maur, just take the damn test already, would ya?"

"No Jane, I need to know before.. Would anything change between us, if I do am pregnant?"

Jane looks at her girlfriend's scared green eyes. She could never leave her. She could never be away from those beautiful green eyes. She touches Maura's cheek and smiles weakly. "Baby, no, of course it won't. I love you more than I love life, you're my reason for everything. I want to be with you, no matter what happens, always." smiles Jane.

Maura throws herself on her girlfriend, clasping her hand around her neck. She leans her forehead against Jane's. "I love you, baby." she whispers between tears, her voice cracking on the last word.

"I love you too, pretty." Jane cups Maura's face, wiping away the tears with her thumb.

"No one has to know that it's Sean's, anyway." mumbles Maura.

"Maura Isles, are you going to lie for the first time in your life?" jokes Jane, trying to smile.

"It is not a proper lie. It's more of avoiding a subject that may cause issues that can be avoided with some discretion." The doctor gets up from the couch. "Okay, I'm ready to urinate on that stick."

Jane hands it to her, silent, and watches Maura slowing walking to the small bathroom near her office.

* * *

"Done!" Jane hears after a couple of minutes. She enters the bathroom and finds Maura leaning on the edge of the sink, her eyes closed and her hands nervously torturing her blouse.

"So?"

"We have to wait, just a couple of minutes."

Jane stands near her girlfriend and takes one of her hands, placing a soft kiss on her palm.

"I don't want to look at it, I..I can't." the doctor says with a shaking voice.

Jane gets up and takes the stick from the window sill with both hands. "So.. Since my knowledge of how a pregnancy test works comes from movies, and in every movie I've seen two lines mean that you're pregnant-"

Maura jumps up.

"You're not pregnant honey. There's only one line here."

Maura moves some steps towards her and takes the test. "Oh my God.." she drops it, "I'm not pregnant." She turns to Jane. "I'm not..pregnant.."

The detective notices her girlfriend's eyes getting vitreous.

"I have.. I.. Excuse me.." The blonde moves Jane away and gets out of the bathroom and head to her office.

Jane has to sit down, the pregnancy test still in her hands. It's negative. She should feel happy, and relieved. But she doesn't.

She slowly walks into Maura's office, her eyes desperately looking for her.

The doctor is standing, her hands on her desk, her back slightly arched, her eyes closed and dripping with silent tears. Jane walks towards her and carefully places a hand on Maura's shoulder, rubbing it gently.

"Why are you still here Jane?"

The brunette gives her a weird look. "I'm-"

"Not here in this office. I mean here with me. Why are you still with me?"

"Maura-"

"I hurt you Jane. I hurt you everyday, I can see it. Why do you do this to yourself?" she cries.

"Maura stop, stop. I can't do this anymore. Why don't you understand that the only way you hurt me is by saying stuff like that?" Jane raises her girlfriend chin, feeling the wetness of her tears on her fingers. "Jesus Christ, why do you have such low self esteem? Why can't you accept to be loved for how great you are?"

"Because I'm not used to it Jane! And I'm not that great anyways," she cries. "No one ever stood by me, supporting me every step of the way like you did for these past months. And I don't know if you're doing it because you take pity on me or-"

"I DO IT BECAUSE I LOVE YOU SO MUCH I WOULD KILL AND DIE FOR YOU MAURA! THAT'S WHY I DO IT!" Jane is now yelling, her voice pealing across the whole building. "And fuck, I would love to raise a baby with you even right now, because I want to have a family with you, because you're my perfect match, and if you're not the person I'm spending the rest of my life with I'd rather die right now, right here."

Maura listens to every word but doesn't speak, doesn't move, barely breaths.

"You have to start believing in yourself as a person Maura, not only as the amazing chief medical examiner that you are. Your personality, your everything, I can't understand how you don't see how great you are."

"Jane-"

"Repeat: I am awesome."

Maura crosses her arms. "I'm not doing childish therapy-"

"Repeat it!" Jane looks serious.

"I am awesome," mumbles Maura.

"I'll have you believe in that phrase." Jane kisses her hard, then walks towards the door.

"The fact is that I've never imagined I could love someone so much as I love you. It's disorienting, but beautiful." Maura stretches her arm towards the detective, and Jane takes it, pulling her closer.

"Let's go pack, Maur."

The blonde looks into her eyes. "What?"

"Let's go home, pack a few things and go to the countryside. My mom has a house there and she's having a family party this weekend, I was gonna tell you about it this evening. We can leave today and we'll be there in a couple of hours. You need some fresh air and some distraction."

"But, Jane, work.."

"We're reachable. They can call if they need us." She smiles, sweetly pulling Maura's arm. "Come on, trust me, you'll feel better."

Maura smiles and starts walking, but stops as she reaches the door.

"Jane can I tell you something? I may implode if I don't."

"Shoot."

The doctors turns the lights of her office off. "_I am awesome_.. It's a sentence, not a phrase. Because when you have both subject and verb-"

Jane cuts her bursting into laughter. "Oh Maur knock it off!"

The blonde bites her lip and smirks. "Sorry, I had to."

Jane pulls her closer for a kiss. "Come on precious, let's go, road trip!"


	11. Chapter 11

They get there right before lunchtime and Angela welcomes them surprised.

"Janie! I wasn't expecting you until tomorrow.. Oh Maura! Hi," she walks towards them and hugs them both. "You could've told me you two were coming, I would've prepared something fancier for lunch, and make up the beds, and-"

"I'm sorry Ma'," Jane smiles. "We got the idea pretty last minute." she winks to Maura. "And there's no problem, I'm sure whatever you made is perfect. And we can help you set things up for tomorrow."

Angela smiles and pats Maura. "I'm sorry we did not call, Angela."

"Oh honey no problem, I could use some help for tomorrow," she blinks. "You'll attend your first Rizzoli Sunday. I warn you, it's gonna be a mess."

The doctor smiles, feeling her girlfriend's arm around her waist. "I'm sure it'll be just perfect."

"Oh, Tommy is joining us for dinner anyway, and Frankie is coming tomorrow."

Jane nods. "Great. Oh mom, can we get the nice bedroom? Tommy can sleep in the other one," she asks.

"Sure you're taking the nice bedroom, I don't wanna Maura to run away from us on her first day here," she jokes.

Jane smiles, holding Maura tight, and the doctor turns to her smiling sweetly.

"Come, I'll show you around."

* * *

Tommy arrives with TJ around seven, "Lydia couldn't make it," he apologizes, not that anyone is particularly sad for the news.

That evening they have dinner all together. No one has faced the Jane-and-Maura topic with him yet and both women are too tired to engage any kind of serious conversation.

After dessert they all play Monopoly, and Jane happily notices that Maura is finally loosing up a little bit. She laughs at Tommy's silly jokes, she lets Angela cheat pretending not to notice, she rocks TJ's swinger when he cries and she has a great time.

* * *

Later on that night, Jane is making up the bed as Maura is in the bathroom.

"Honey.. Is this your toothbrush?" the blonde peeps from the door, waving a green toothbrush with her right hand, her expression a mixture of shock and disgust.

"Yeah.. Why?" she smiles.

"You are aware you are supposed to change it every two or three months, right? This looks like it's older than _you_! So not good for your teeth."

"Oh man, no, I can't throw that away! I've had this toothbrush since college!" she jokes, and Maura's eyes open wide.

"What?!"

"Just kidding!" Jane laughs. "Baby, relax." she rubs her shoulder, taking the item from her hand. "I'll change it soon, I promise."

Maura smiles and tosses the toothbrush back into the plastic cup on the sink. She looks at herself in the mirror: she looks tired, but not exhausted. Just a bit fatigued. Everything is very silent there, no cars around, no street noises, just wind and crickets and…owls? She finds the countryside a bit unsettling, but soothing at the same time.

She walks into the bedroom in her nightgown, a silky light-blue knees-length gown. Jane is in her bra and she's putting on some sweat pants, but stops and smiles as she sees her getting out of the bathroom.

"How's it going?"

Maura yawns. "Good. Better."

"Great," Jane jumps up from the bed and moves some steps towards the blond, surrounding her waist with her arms. "Tomorrow is really going to be messy, I want you to be psychologically prepared." she smiles.

"Messier than your toothbrush?" Maura smiles back and lets her face closer to Jane's, making their noses touch.

"Yeah, messier than that." laughs the detective.

"Good Lord, I don't know if I'm ready for that," smirks Maura.

"Well, at least we have the nice bedroom." Jane trails Maura onto the bed, then slips under the sheets.

"Where's Tommy sleeping?"

"In the small room, right here," she points at the wall behind her. "It's not that bad itself, it's just small and the window doesn't have rolling shutters. We gotta fix this place," she smirks.

Maura joins her into the bed, that squeaks as she sits.

"I wish I had family dinners like this one when I was kid," she said. "I love my mom, but if she only had been more, I don't know..fun.."

Jane takes her hand, comforting. "I'm sure Constance was not the Monopoly type, but that doesn't mean she was not a good mom."

"I know.. I just.. You know, when you were talking with Tommy about you and him having fights over the last piece of cake, or doing week-long basketball matches during the summer.. I wish I had those kind of memories."

Jane smiles at her, because she doesn't really know what to say.

Maura looks adorable when she doesn't wear make up. She always does, but when she's make up free, Jane feels like she could stare at her pretty face for hours without feeling the need to do anything else.

"Are you listening?"

Maura's voice makes her span out of her awe. "I'm sorry, yes, I'm listening."

"I didn't really mean what I said today. That you should leave me. Don't do that, please."

"I won't do that, Maura, you know it."

"I cannot live without y-"

Jane kisses her before she can finish the sentence. She pushes Maura down on the bed, her hands cupping that wonderful face of hers.

The doctor smiles in the kiss, and responds sweetly. Jane's hands travel all the way down to her stomach, lifting Maura's gown.

"I love you Maura."

"Jane.." she moans, as her girlfriend's hand slips under her panties. "Oh, Jane.. They will hear us.."

"Relax baby," the brunette tickles Maura's neck with her lips. "They won't, everyone is certainly already asleep by now."

"I don't think- _Oh my God, Jane!_"

Maura has never felt so needy to feel Jane's skin against hers, her body wrapping tight around the detective's, trying to make contact with as many parts of her body as she can.

Jane wants to love her, to make her release all the tension from the past days. She wants old Maura back.

The bed begins to squeak louder with their movements, as does Maura, even though she bites the inside of her cheeks to avoid the screaming. "Jane, please, oh Jesus.." she tries to hold back a moan, but she doesn't quite succeed.

Jane traces her full figure with kisses until she arrives to the most sensitive spot, Maura's fingers tangles into her hair.

"I love you," whispers the detective.

"Jane.. Don't tease.." the blondes voice is deeper when she's aroused, Jane loves it.

"Tell me you love me again and I won't hesitate a second more."

"You're my reason for everything Jane, I love you."

That night, everything else is squealing and moaning and labored breathing. And love, much much love.

* * *

The following day, Maura wakes up feeling the sunlight tickling her cheek. She winks a couple of times, rubs her eyes and stretches yawning. Still half asleep, she automatically reaches for Jane on her side, but there's no Jane laying next to her, she finds a piece of paper instead.

"_I would kiss you and make love to you a hundred more times, but you look so peaceful I don't want to wake you up. You're giggling in your sleep now, are you dreaming? You're gorgeous. For when you'll wake up: I'll be downstairs, take your time. I love you, sweet girl_"

She smiles and slowly walks to the bathroom, facing the mirror as she enters the small room. She looks flushed and glowing, and she decides to take a cold shower using Jane's bodywash, she loves that scent. Then she wears a pair of trousers and a loose shirt of Jane's, she goes downstairs, her only thought being squeezing her beautiful girl into her arms.

"Good morning!" she goes as she meets eyes with Jane into the kitchen.

The detective walks towards her and wraps her arms around her. "Hey there!" Jane's raspy voice tickles her neck as she presses her lips against her skin.

"God, I love you.." whispers Maura.

"Tell me about it," jokes the brunette. "So, we have coffee, tea, milk, and any kind of pie you could imagine, because mom was not feeling good tonight so she stayed up all night, baking relaxes her. Seriously, name one and I swear-"

"What? How's Angela now?" asks the doctor, reaching for an apple in the fruit basket.

"Oh she's okay, she's resting on the hammock outside."

"Then I'll have a slice of this, because it looks delicious," smiles Maura.

Jane cuts up a slice of cherry pie and hands it to Maura, not letting the plate go until she has kissed her favorite blonde on her soft lips.

Tommy enters the room a couple of minutes later, all sweaty and breathing loudly.

"I'm not chopping up wood again, that's not easy as it looks in the movies!" he complains. "Hey, 'morning Maura."

"Hello Tommy," she smiles.

"Soooo, uhm.." he swallowed two glasses of water in a row. "Was it something wrong with you guys last night?"

Maura's face goes immediately on fire and she tries to keep her head facing the plate.

"What do you mean?" tries Jane, nonchalantly.

"It sounded like the bed was about to fall apart.."

Maura turns her head to Jane, she's all red and gives her a look. Jane mouths an "I don't know" between her teeth.

"And Maura was screaming."

"I was having cramps." she blurts out.

"She was having cramps."

"Really bad cramps. You know, leg cramps? I really need to introduce more potassium in my diet."

Tommy looks at the two of them, uncertain if he has to laugh or not.

"Frankie's here!" Angela peeps from the door. "Are you all ready?"

"For what?" asks Maura in half a second, relieved to have the chance of changing the topic of the conversation.

"A walk in the woods." Jane answers, to prevent Tommy from saying anything else about last night. "There's a nice prairie about ten minutes from here walking, we're going there and then have a picnic. There's also a river over there. Oh and," she adds, "you might want to wear your bikini, it's perfect for sunbathing there."

Maura flashes her an excited smile and goes upstairs.

* * *

The clearing they get to is amazing: green grass, trees and flowers all around, a small river coursing nearby and the sun just shining bright.

"Do you like it?" Jane whispers into Maura's ear as she watches the landscape in awe.

"It's beautiful."

They are about to hold hands, when football ball almost hit Maura's head.

Jane turns around pissed. "Watch out, idiot! Do you wanna kill her?" she yells to her brother.

"Sorry Maura," Frankie waves, immediately running after the ball before Tommy could get it.

"You two are impossible," says Angela, struggling to unfasten TJ out of the stroller.

"Here mom, let me.." Jane helps her, taking the baby and turning to her two childish brothers. "See? Those two crazies are you daddy and your uncle. You sure you still wanna be a part of this family?" She speaks to him sweetly, holding him in the most delicate way, so naturally that Maura feels tears coming at her eyes.

"Jane, can you help me out here?" Angela is already taking al the food out of the bags, and Jane turns to her girlfriend smiling.

"Would you hold TJ for a minute?"

"Uhm, yes, sure," Maura takes him, and the baby immediately nestles against her body, playing with her necklace.

As Jane winks and walks towards her mother, Maura moves some steps to look around. Tommy Junior has grown so fast, she thinks, he weights way more than the last time she held him, and it has been not more than a month ago. He's about nine months old now, he crawls, he waves bye-bye and he claps, he's an extremely sweet little boy. Maura bends her head to look at his face: his chocolate brown eyes, Rizzoli eyes, are staring at her blouse like mesmerized, and she assumes he likes the glittery applications on the collar.

"Hey beautiful, hey.." she whispers, tickling TJ's stomach. The baby giggles, and she smiles automatically. "Do you like it, yes?" she tickles quicker, and the TJ starts wiggling and laughing. Maura starts hopping him and pretend to make him fly around, and he laughs and laughs.

That's how they are caught by Jane some minutes later, Maura lifting TJ up and down and tickling him, and the baby laughing like he's having the time of his life.

Jane does not speak right away, lingering in the cuteness of her girlfriend playing with his baby nephew.

"You two, sorry to interrupt, but lunch is ready," she says after a while, smiling.

Maura turns and starts walking towards her. "Good, I'm starving!" she says as she reaches Jane, smacking a kiss that tastes like happiness right onto the brunette's lips.

* * *

Lunch is italian and delicious and they all have lots of fun chattering, but Jane cannot erase from her mind the picture of Maura holding and playing with TJ. It was the sweetest scene she'd ever seen, and now more than ever she knows how much she wants to be with and have a family with this woman, who's sitting on the grass right next to her, her blonde locks framing her beautiful lineaments and her perfect teeth showing every time she laughs, throwing her head back as she always does.

"Okay, okay, I can't take this anymore."

Maura gives her a questioning look. "What do you me-"

"Guys, all of you, I gotta tell you something." Jane gets up on her knees and clinks the knife against a glass bottle. As soon as she gets full attention from everybody, she turns to Angela.

"Well, mom already knows this, even though it wasn't really planned for her to find out like she did," she smiles. "So this is mostly for you two crazy brothers of mine." She puts the knife down and kneels. "As you all know, Casey and I broke up some time ago and..well, even if I told everyone that it happened because we couldn't handle the distance, it was not the truth. That was not the reason why I wanted to put an end to our relationship."

Frankie and Tommy look at her confused, and she sighs.

"Well.. I.. I realized that I had been in love with someone for the longest time, and this someone was not Casey.." She lets out a nervous giggle and look at Maura, whose cheeks are turning slightly red. "When I eventually found out that this person was sharing my feelings, well, I couldn't..let her go."

Maura instantly takes her hand, squeezing it softly. Jane smiles and turns to her family. "And this person was this lovely woman sitting next to me, with whom I've worked for years, stupidly without realizing that we were a match.. _That_ kind of match."

She can see Frankie's jaw slightly opening, and Tommy 's eyes widening.

"So that's all, no big deal, I love her." Jane shrugs and sits back down onto the grass.

Frankie follows her figure with his eyes. "Wait- You and- Doc?" he turns to Maura for confirmation, and she bites her lip smiling. "It happened," she says.

Angela breaks the ice walking towards them. "Aren't they beautiful? My precious girls," she squeezes them in a hug.

"Ma', please, no hugging.." Jane tries.

"Gosh, I can't breathe.." whispers Maura.

"Oh, you two," Angela lets them both go, smiling maliciously.

Frankie finally bursts into laughter, a nice laughter, a "I can't believe it but I think it's great" laughter.

Tommy grins. "I knew it."

Everyone turns to him. "You knew what?" Jane looks at him confused.

"That you two, you know.." he gesticulates. "I mean, you're constantly with Maura all the time lately and, no offense, but neither of you is good at lying. I mean, all the noises that were coming from your room last night, it couldn't be-"

"How about dessert?" Jane cuts him off loudly.

"Yeah," Maura stands up. "Look, there's pie!"

The girls are visibly embarrassed and Tommy starts laughing, everyone following him after a while, as Jane entwines her fingers with Maura's.

"I love your family." whispers the doctor.

"I love you."


	12. Chapter 12

When it happens, it's late at night and Maura's cutting up strawberries for Bass.

Right above her crotch, a sharp pain causes her to drop the knife and bend, her hand tightly wrapped around her stomach.

Jane has just left her house, they had brought work home, their last case being kind of a tough nut to crack. It was about eleven when Jane thought it was best for both of them to get some sleep and go on in the morning so, a thousand kisses later, she waved goodbye and got home in her car.

And now Maura is there, standing in her kitchen, the agony in her stomach so not likely to go away. She's never been afraid to be home alone, she has lived by herself it for at least fifteen years, but suddenly all she wishes is for Jane to be there, hold her until the aching goes away, whispering sweet words in her ear, cuddling her to sleep.

Eventually she feels somehow better, and she immediately grabs the phone to text Jane. She needs contact, she needs to see her, but right as se picks the phone up, she sees an incoming text from Jane.

_"Goodnight sunny girl, I love you x"_

And that's enough for Maura. That's enough to let her make it through the night, until she can wrap her arms around her girlfriend's neck and feel safe again.

* * *

Some days later, Jane wakes up in the middle of the night due to some strange noises.

It takes her some minutes to fully realize where she is (on Maura's bed), what time it is (4:27 am) and why she has just woken up so suddenly. She can now hear distinct retching sounds from the adjacent room, Maura's bathroom. Now she hears her girlfriend panting, short of breath, then another retch and then the strong sound of throwing up violently hits her tympanum.

She almost runs to the bathroom, finding Maura bent over the toilet in her pajamas, her face as pale as the walls around her.

"Baby, baby, it's okay.." Jane slides on her knees next to her girlfriend, and carefully takes her blonde locks away from her face, holding her forehead.

"Jane, no, get out of here.." stammers the doctor, holding out her hand in the weak attempt of shoo the brunette.

"Shh, it's okay.."

Maura wants to answer back, but the sickness makes her bend on the toilet bowl another time.

She feels like she's barfed her guts out and she tries to get up, Jane sweetly supporting her, helping her drink some water from the sink.

"What happened, sweetie?" she tries, softly whispering her words into Maura's ear.

"I don't.. I felt nausea..and weakness.. I can't stand on my feet.. Please, please just stop moving!"

Jane automatically holds her tighter. "Maur, I'm not moving at all.."

"Yes, you are, everything's moving, my head is spinning so fast.." Maura has to close her eyes and leans on the sink for stability.

Jane looks genuinely worried. "I'm taking you to the hospital."

"Jane!" Maura scoffs. "I am a doctor! It's just-"

"You are a _dead people_ doctor. And don't you dare guess what's wrong with yourself, you're terrible at it. Come on, put this on." she hands the blonde a sweater.

Maura seems to regain color on her cheeks in half a second. "No, there's no way I'm leaving the house in my pajamas."

Jane is already at the door and turns around irritated. "Really?!"

"Really."

"Fine! Let's go pick up some glamorous-hospital-ready clothes and waste a lot of time!" she responds, trailing Maura to the bedroom. The blonde wants to smirk, but a sharp pain pierces her lower stomach, and she screams.

She screams her voice out, she cries, hoping that the stab she just felt would be scared by her high-pitched voice and leave her body alone.

"Maura?" Jane cries out, running back towards her. But the doctor wilts on the floor, luckily Jane is fast enough to get her before she hit her head on the wall.

"Maura, Maura, open your eyes baby, open 'em.." She's kneeled down and holds her girlfriend's head on her lap, trying to keep her face free from her sweaty blonde locks.

"Baby, baby, wake up.." She's nearly crying.

Maura slowly open her eyes. "Take me..hospital.."

"Yes baby, yes, just keep your eyes open for me," she pulls out her phone and quickly thinks about calling 911, but she knows it would take them some time, too much time, the hospital is on the other side of the city, so she speed dials randomly the last person she called.

"Frost?" a grumpy voice answers almost immediately.

"Frost, it's Jane, come here, get your car, Maura's sick, I don't know what to do, the ambulance would take too much, please.." her voice sounds desperate, she's on the edge of tears.

"Jane…blood.." Maura babbles, her voice so weak she can barely hear a word.

"No baby you're not bleeding.. Frost please!" she screams on the phone.

"I'm already in the car, I'll be there in two."

"Thank you!" she cries. Her phone back in her pocket, she looks at Maura, pale and sweaty. "Blood, blood.." she keeps saying.

"Blood? Honey, no, it's okay, there's no-" Jane quickly scans her body, and her eyes freeze on a red stain right on her crotch.

"Oh fuck, fuck.." she grabs a towel. "Maur, what is happening?" she asks, terrified.

"Baby.."

"I'm here honey, Frost is coming-"

"No, no, _baby_.." she tries again.

Someone knocks at the door. "Jane it's me!"

Jane tries to get up, but she can't lift Maura, completely dead weight, by herself. "Kick it open, quick!"

Frost kicks the door down and runs over them, helping Jane lift the doctor and driving insanely fast to the hospital with the siren on.

* * *

Two hours later Jane is sitting in the waiting room, her head hurts and she's cold because she's wearing only sweat pants and a tank top.

"Here," Frost hands her a cup of coffee.

"No thanks, I have a head ache."

He sighs. "At least put this on, you're shivering."

Frost hands her his jacket and puts the plastic cup on the small table in front of them, then sits next to Jane. "Here, I'm not gonna tell you that she's gonna be fine, but they're doing everything they can."

"You don't know it."

He sighs. "They are doctors, Jane. It's their job to-"

"Please, cut the bullshit, I won't feel any better until they come here and tell me that she's okay."

They remain silent for a couple of minutes.

"I'm sorry." says Jane with a sigh.

"It's okay." He pats her shoulder, and she eventually takes her coffee. "It's understandable, I mean, she's your best friend."

"She is.." Jane closes her eyes. She is her best friend, her coworker, her lover, her match. "About that.." she breathes heavily and turns to him. "Something happened, some time ago.."

Frost looks at her as if to encourage her to go on.

"We are..together."

"What- What do you mean?"

She wants to tell him, because she knows that his partner would understand. And even if he wouldn't, she knows he would respect her either way.

"Maura and I, we..are dating." she feels that she's blushing, and hides her face into the cup.

Frost raises his brows. "Oh."

"Yeah."

"Wow. Uhm, okay.."

"We didn't know how to tell you guys.. I mean, the situation was kind of odd, neither of us was a lesbian..openly."

"Well.. Good, I mean.." Frost's expression is a mixture of surprise and confusion, that make his face look funny to Jane. Or maybe she only needs to laugh a bit.

"You look shocked," she giggles.

"Well you know, I would've never expected this, but.. I guess.. I'm happy for you, Jane. For both of you."

She smiles, a genuine smile. "Thank you, Frost."

He remains silent for some seconds, then Jane notices him smile. "Korsak will have a hard time getting over it, once he finds out," he says.

"Why, what do you mean?"

"What do I mean? He has the hugest crush on Maura, Jane."

The detective frowns. "What? No, no way!"

"Yes way! Not a serious crush, I mean.. Just a, you know.. He visibly finds her charming. But," he surrounds Jane's shoulder with his arms, "He'll be happy for you two, too."

His smile is warm, and Jane feels safe. Frost is definitely the best partner she could ask for, he always knew how to make her feel safe and comfortable.

"Jane Rizzle?"

Jane jumps up. "It's Rizzoli. Jane Rizzoli, that's me."

"Sorry, ms Rizzoli. If you don't mind following me.."

Her legs are going numb, but she feels Frost's hand squeezing her arm in support, so she exhales and follows the doctor.

* * *

**As much as what happens next could seem obvious, I hope you liked it and you'll like what comes next xxx**


	13. Chapter 13

Maura's on a bed, wearing a hospital gown, sleeping.

"First of all, she's fine." the doctor tells her, as they enter the room.

Jane breathes out relieved. "Oh, thank God.. But what happened to her? Could it happen again? I was scared-"

"Well," he cuts her, "she risked a miscarriage. Actually, her conditions as she arrived here were so serious we were sure we couldn't do a thing for the baby. Then the hemorrhage stopped, and right when we were about to cut her pulse went back to normal. It was like she came back from the dead." He looked down to a folder distractedly. "We did all the tests and the baby is okay. She's still in a very early stage of the gestation, so we can't say much, but with some blood transfusions and a lot of rest she should be back on her feet in a week. Honestly, I would call it a miracle."

Jane's jaw has dropped to the floor. "I'm sorry, are you sure you're talking about doctor Isles? Maura Isles?" she manages to say after a few seconds.

"What do you mean, miss, of course I'm sure."

Jane is over confused. "You.. You talked about a miscarriage, a baby, how.."

The doctor looks suddenly more serious. "Ms Isles pregnant, I thought you knew.."

At the word _pregnant_, Jane's world falls around her into pieces. No, of course she did not know. She did not know at all. And she's pretty sure Maura didn't know as well.

"But the test, it was negative.." she babbles.

"Studies show that as professional as a home-pregnancy test could be, there's always at least a 3% chance that it could be wrong."

Well, she did not know that. Or maybe she did, but she certainly did not think about it when the single blue line popped up on the stick.

"So..she _is_ pregnant."

"Indeed she is. But we would like to do some more specific examinations to be sure that both her and the baby are healthy and completely recovered from the severe hemorrhage."

Jane can't really talk much, she's too confused. "Yeah, okay."

The doctor feels her discomfort. "We won't be doing them now, if that's what you think. She'll better have the rest of the day to sleep as much as possible. Of course, if you want to talk to her, you can do it. I'd suggest only to wait until she wakes up for herself."

Jane nods. Of course she will wait. She doesn't even know how to explain what just happened to herself, let alone explaining it to Maura.

"I'm sorry, one last question, then I'll leave you alone.. Does your friend smoke or drink on a daily basis?"

"No, she doesn't smoke at all. And drink..well no, not on a daily basis.. We do like to have a glass of wine after dinner though."

"So, she _does_ drink on a daily basis."

Jane scratches her nose. "Yeah, I guess so." She's confused. "But it's like a glass, maybe two, not more."

"Alright. Thank you."

When the doctor leaves the room, Jane sits on the edge of Maura's bed. The blonde is being drip-fed and she has various needles and tubes on her body. Her skin color is back to normal now, but she still look exhausted and weak, extremely weak.

The detective touches her cheek lightly. "Hey.."

Maura doesn't move, and Jane carefully takes her cold hands between hers. "I'm here with you, golden girl. I'm here, everything went okay."

She lets a hand rest on Maura's lower stomach and suddenly remembers that there's a life in there now. She brushes her hand against the coarse fabric of the sheets.

"What do we do now.." she whispers weakly.

* * *

Jane spends the night at the hospital, sleeping uncomfortably on the worn out armchair the nurses have brought her.

The following day Angela brings her some clothes and some breakfast.

"Tesoro*, you gotta eat something, you look miserable." she says as Jane gets up and stretches. "How was the night?"

"Creepy and silent. Haven't slept much." she answers, stepping into the small bathroom.

She comes out wearing black trousers and a blue t-shirt. "Thanks Ma'."

Angela sits on the edge of the bed, where Maura is still asleep.

"What happened last night?"

Jane sips her coffee slowly. She doesn't want to tell anyone yet. Not until Maura knows.

"It's not really clear. The doctor said they were gonna analyze some things and let me now in the morning." she lied.

Angela turns to the blonde doctor laying next to her. "She is so pale.."

"I know."

Her mother gets up and walks towards her. "Call me whenever you have news, okay?"

"Sure." Jane's voice cracks, and Angela pulls her daughter into a hug. The detective cannot stop the tears from rushing down her cheeks.

"I was so scared, Ma'."

"I know baby girl, I know.." she holds her tight. "But she's fine now. She's fine. She's here, with you."

Jane bites her lip. She knows she's fine, but she needs her to wake up. She needs to see those pretty green eyes looking straight at her, to feel complete again. Now she's just empty and vacuous. She needs to fill her lungs with Maura's scent, with her words. She needs her well manicured fingers intertwine with her long ones. She needs to feel the warmth of her breathing against her neck.

* * *

Maura wakes up around noon, while Jane is skimming a newspaper without really paying attention to any of the articles.

She suddenly feels something moving on the mattress and looks at Maura, to see her long lashes going up and down as she blinks.

"Hello there, sunshine." she says, almost unable to contain her relief.

The doctor fully opens her eyes and finally focuses Jane's figure sitting next to her, now holding her hand.

"He-. Gosh my head, it's heavy.." she tries to sit up, but her arms are very weak, so Jane helps her with some pillows. "What-"

"It's okay baby," the detective shushes her gently and rubs her arm.

"Jane, I'm in a hospital gown that I don't remember having put on, it's not okay," she smiles weakly.

Jane smiles back, but feels a knot right in her throat and tries to wink to hold back the tears; Maura certainly is tired, but awake enough to understand that her girlfriend is upset.

"Jane.. What happened? What's going on?"

The detective swallows.

"Jane." Maura removes her hand from Jane's lap. "Talk to me." she tries to sound calm, even though her medical-trained mind is traveling through all the possible diseases she could have. Hernia? Tumor? Breast cancer?

"The.. The hemorrhage and the nausea and the pain.. It was a risk of miscarriage."

Maura goes even whiter. "Excuse me?"

"It was a miracle. You're both healthy, and-"

"Both?" Maura immediately feels stupid, she's asking to get the most obvious answer of all.

"You're pregnant, Maura."

Of course she is. She knows that. She's a doctor, she knows what the word miscarriage means. She has studied, she knows what it is. She has known she was pregnant from the very moment she felt blood drenching her pajamas pants the night before. But still, her brain refuses to connect the facts together.

"Mother…._phooey_." She grabs her stomach with both hands, firmly but gracefully. She feels swollen, and aching. She feels dizzy. She feels...she doesn't feel much at the moment.

"The test you took..it was a false negative."

"Well, studies do show that there's a 3 percent-"

"Yeah, the doctor told me that."

Maura is trying to distract her girlfriend (or maybe herself?) with her google talk, but it doesn't work. It's all foggy in her mind, it's almost like her body cannot find the right way to react to what Jane just told her.

"Listen Maur, I know that's kind of a shock now, but it's okay. I mean, the simple fact that you're fine now, it is..."

Maura looks down and waits. She tries to control her feelings, she tries not to let emotions rush on her, but she feels a tears streaming down her cheek. Too late.

"Jane.."

"Yes baby."

"This is not…I didn't expect this.." she said in a cracky voice.

"I know you didn't. It's hard now, but you'll see, once you have fully recovered, you'll have your thoughts cleared up and-"

"No, Jane, no.. That's not.. I don't know… I mean this is Sean's child." Maura's hand goes instinctively on her mouth, to help her swallow back the tears. Her green eyes land on Jane's. The detective reads fear and confusion.

"Maura-"

"I cannot offer this child a normal life, Jane. I'm a medical examiner. I work with dead bodies, I end up in hostage situations, I work with cops! You see.." Maura sits up straight now, "When that test came up negative, I was sad. i really was, because.. Because I would've loved to have a baby, after all. But then I thought about the kind of life that my baby could've lived with me.. What can a parent give to its child, if not stability? And I don't have that! So I thought, maybe.. Maybe it was meant to be, maybe it was better that way. And now-"

"All a child needs is love, Maur. And you can give him that."

"I don't know.."

"I do know." Jane's eyes are glossy, she's begging of her to please, please don't let this go.

"What would you do?"

Jane looks at her, flabbergasted. "What do you mean what would I do?"

"I'm in a weird place right now, Jane. Everything seems to be filled up in this bubble and I cannot separate my thoughts, I'm just..messed up and confused." Maura rubs her eyes. "I trust you Jane. I need your opinion."

Jane sighs, Maura is out of her mind. "Honestly… I love you Maur, and I'd take care of this child as if it was my own, if you'll let me."

The blonde's gaze doesn't move from her face and Jane feels her palm sweating.

"Do you remember what you told me about having children, some time ago?"

"That I've never felt like having any because I did not trust my partners in the past?"

"Yes." she goes. "But.."

Maura smiles, teary. "But I trust _you_."

Jane sighs in relief, as if she wasn't sure Maura would say that. "Exactly, beautiful girl, exactly." The detective places a soft kiss on the blonde's cheek, sucking in a tear. "I'm in, if you are. I say we can do this."

Maura raises her head. "We can?"

"You tell me."

The doctor bites her lip. Right now, she doesn't know what her life would be if she didn't have Jane next to her. Her love for her is so deep she could drown in it. "I love you."

Jane's eyes enlighten and her smile gives the doctor shivers. The brunette leans in and presses her lips against Maura's. It's not a passionate kiss, it's a "you're safe with me" kiss. Maura feels it warming her whole body.

"It's gonna be tough shit, but it will be worth it." Jane mutters as she breaks the kiss.

"As long as I have you, I don't care about how tough this shit is gonna be," whispers Maura, biting on her girlfriend's lip.

Jane looks at her and bursts into laughter. "Language, doctor Isles!"

* * *

*** tesoro: italian for honey, cutie.**


	14. Chapter 14

"Here, here, give that to me.."

"It's a purse baby, I can do it, relax!" Maura smiles as she gets out of the car.

Maura is finally home after a week at the hospital: while she feels good and excited about being back, Jane has been taking the doctor's "It would be better for her not to carry or lift any weights for a bit." extremely seriously.

"You know what the doctor said-"

"Jane. It's a purse. And the heaviest thing I have in here is probably my cellphone, come on."

"Maura." the detective's eyes narrow.

"Ugh, you're exaggerated." scoffs the blonde, handing her girlfriend the bag.

"I just care about you two." Jane steps towards the door and pulls the keys into the door.

"Me too honey, but-"

"**WELCOME HOME!**"

Jane's mouth opens in shock. Everyone is there: Angela, Frankie, Tommy, Frost, Korsak and..

"MOTHER?" If Maura was carrying that purse, now she would surely have dropped it.

"Darling," Constance walks towards her, taking her daughter's shaky hands in hers. "I'm so sorry I couldn't come earlier, but this morning's flight was the only one I could find, every other one was overbooked." She hugs her delicately. "How are you feeling?"

"Um.. Uh.." Maura cannot find any words, it's like her whole vocabulary has just been erased from her mind.

"Maura, are you.."

"She's fine!" Jane cuts her. "You're fine, right Maur?"

The detective's touch makes Maura come to her senses. "Y..yes. Yes. Mother, it's so wonderful to see you here."

Constance curves the corner of her mouth in a weak smile.

"And it's so great to see all of you, oh my God, Angela, thank you.." She walks and hugs everyone of them, smiling but still a little disoriented.

Jane slowly walks to Frankie. "What the _heck_? Ma's idea?"

"Are you seriously asking?"

She rolls her eyes. "What is it with mothers and welcome home parties? _My gosh.._"

Tommy reaches them holding TJ. "Hey Janie!"

"Hi Tommy.. Hey you, how are you cute boy?" She takes the baby and hugs her brother, but a second later she feels a tap on the shoulder.

She turns, her black curls whirling at her movement. "Constance, hi."

"Hello Jane."

"So, um.. How was your flight?"

"It was pleasant.." the woman looks around uncomfortably, trying to avoid Jane's gaze. "I wanted to thank you."

"Yeah, sure.. For what?" The detective hops TJ on one hip to ease her movements.

"Taking care of her." Constance hints at her daughter, who's now talking with Frost and Korsak. "She didn't even call me. I had no idea that something had happened to her. Why?" The woman looked really worried and sad. "Why wouldn't she tell me that she was in a hospital? I mean, when Angela called me-"

Jane scoffs. "I'm sorry, what?! My mother called you?"

"No, I mean yes, but don't take this on her, please. She did what every mother would do." Constance sighs, gloomy. "I just don't understand why she.."

"Jane, uhm, can I talk to you for a second?" Maura peeps from behind her mother. "I'll be back to you in a second to greet you properly, mother."

"Sure, darling."

Maura walks into the bathroom and Jane follows her, still holding TJ.

"I hope you were not a part of this." Maura looks serious and pissed.

"Maura I had _no_ idea, I swear! My mother.."

"Your mother should try to mind her own-" The doctor bites her tongue to avoid saying anything unpleasant. "Jane, my mother is just not..into this." She gesticulates between Jane and herself. "As coward as it is, I wished to avoid any contact with her as long as possible."

Jane cocks an eyebrow to her girlfriend. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that I was not planning to see her anytime soon, and of course I was not ready to see her now! That's why I didn't call her when I had the…accident." The doctor's hand moves from her hip to her stomach, as to check if everything is still okay in there. "I can't just go there and say 'Hey mom, this is my girlfriend Jane and since I'm pregnant with the baby of a former lover of mine, who's dead by the way, we want to raise this child together.'" The blonde looks at Jane begging. "Did you hear me? It sounded crazy."

Jane sighs. It did sound crazy. But wasn't it what they wanted to do anyway?

"Maur, I'm sure that whatever makes you happy will make her happy as w-"

"No Jane, you don't understand! You don't know her! She's the most old-school and close minded person I know!" Maura sobs, leaning on the sink. "I had one girlfriend, back in high school, during my sophomore year. I was so naive to think that she wouldn't have a problem with any of that, as long as it made me happy. But when I told her that I was dating my best friend..she laughed at me, Jane. She laughed right in front of my face, and once she was done laughing, she simply said 'Honey, be careful, you don't use the verb _to date_ when you talk about one of your girlfriends. Some people may think you're a queer. Anyway, yes, you can go watch a movie with Natalie, just be home by eight.'"

Jane bites her lip, feeling her whole face burning with rage.

"She just thought I misspoke, you know? She wouldn't even consider it as a real thing. I even heard her say "What a disgrace!" to one of her friends whose daughter had just told her she liked girls. She just..didn't and doesn't understand." she sniffs. "That night I cried myself to sleep for two hours. I used to admire my mother, and now she was telling me that my way of being was wrong. I broke up with Natalie the following day and never ever dated a girl ever since. Every time I had feelings for a woman, I kept saying to myself '_This is wrong, you are not supposed to be this way_'. I kept what I was even from myself for years." Maura turns her face to Jane, her eyes glossy. "Until I met you."

Jane cannot speak. She is frozen, not sure if throwing herself at Maura and kissing her would be appropriate. But that's all she wants to do. She wants to tell her that she's wonderful, and strong, and beautiful, and that she loves her more than anything in the world. But she's frozen, TJ playing with her hair and drooling on her t-shirt.

"My feelings for you were to strong to be hidden, Jane. And by the time I met you, I was here in Boston, and my mother was in England. There was no reason to hide anymore. But seeing her now, here.."

Jane turns to the door and opens it.

"No, Jane don't! Please!"

The brunette calls her brother and hands him TJ, then smiles saying that she will be out in a minute, then she closes the door again. She walks towards Maura, taking her face in her hands.

"I love you so much." Jane kisses her sweetly, letting her lips brush against Maura's. "You are the strongest person I know."

"_You_ are my strength Jane. I couldn't do any of this without you."

The detective looks at her girlfriend right in her eyes. "I want you to free yourself from this burden. Go and tell her. You have me, you have us on your side. Do it for you. Do it for your…our baby."

Maura looks at her, shaking her head. "No Jane, I can't."

"Yes you can."

"No, I can't!" she cries, and Jane automatically steps back.

"Maura I don't want to push you, you don't have to do it now. But trust me, you need to do it sooner or-."

"Jane have you even listened to what I told you earlier?!"

"Yes! And that's why I say-"

"No! No, just no.." Maura moves her and walks outside.

Constance reaches her the second she spots her getting out of the bathroom. "Darling.."

"I'm sorry mother, that's not the right moment, just give me a minute.."

"No, Maura, listen to me, please.." she takes her daughter's arm, and Maura starts to wiggle to free herself.

"Mother, no! Just leave me alone, leave me alone!" Maura is upset and claustrophobic, she needs some fresh air, but Constance doesn't seem to let her go.

Maura feels like the oxygen in the room is fading, and she feels her lungs contracting, seeking for air. Her chest starts to go up and down, hyperventilating, and she bends, trying to pull her arm out of her mother's clinch.

'_Not this, not again.._' she thinks. She feels the panic attack setting her head on fire.

Jane, who's getting out of the bathroom in that exact moment, immediately notices Maura's shortened breath and throws herself on Constance, pulling her back so that she could let Maura go. The moment the detective's eyes meet the terrified gaze of her girlfriend, she understands. She knows what it is and she just wishes she could toss everybody out of the window and be alone with her.

After some minutes, Maura's breathing is slowly coming back to normal and everyone in the room is still and silent. Constance is wide eyed, a hand over her mouth, her gaze stuck on her daughter, who's kneeled on the floor with her face in her hands.

As she sees that Maura's sobbing has stopped, Jane, who has been standing to prevent anyone from touching her all this time, slowly bends near her girlfriend.

"Maur," she whispers, "are you okay?"

The doctor turns her head to her. "Yes...Yes."

Jane helps her getting up, sweetly holding her tight.

"Sweetheart, probably it's better for us to go." tries Angela.

Maura nods slightly and clears her throat. "I am so sorry, apparently I'm not feeling so well yet."

Tommy and Frankie are the first to leave, after patting Maura on the shoulder gently, together with Angela, then Frost and Korsak exit the house whispering a "_See you,_" to Jane before closing the door.

Constance has not made a move yet, but she removes the hand from her mouth as Maura turns to her.

"Mother, I'm sorry."

"I really think I should go…" The blue-eyed woman takes her purse and heads to the door.

"Mother.." Maura tries to call her, but she wouldn't stop walking. "Non, maman."

Constance's head turns to her daughter immediately as she hears French.

Maura bites her lip, she knew she would have her mother's attention that way. "Please, stay." She turns to Jane and takes her hand, her fingers clutching the brunette's long ones. "Mother, I need…to talk to you."


	15. Chapter 15

"Mother, you may want to sit down."

"Do you want me to get you some tea?" Jane rubs Maura's arm.

"Yeah, thanks," the doctor smiles. She sits on the couch, slightly tapping next to herself looking at Constance.

The woman carefully does what her daughter wants. "Maura, let me tell you-"

"No mother, let _me_ tell you something this time. I know, I did not call you, I did not tell you I was at the hospital, and I'm sorry."

Constance takes her daughter's hand, and Maura stiffens. "Why darling? Why?" Her mother looks seriously concerned and she has never showed her interest towards her so openly, and the doctor feels uncomfortably loved. "Talk to me, Maura."

Jane walks towards them, leaning on the arm of the sofa, a hand on Maura's shoulder. She feels her girlfriend softening under her touch.

"Mother," sighs Maura, her voice deep and her words slow, as if she needed to think carefully about every single one of them. "I've kept something from you, for far too long, because I knew you would not approve of it. But I want to talk about it with you now, because this has completely taken over my life and there's no point in keeping it a secret anymore."

Constance swallows slowly.

"I'm in a relationship and I'm happy, and even though I know you won't approve of-"

"Maura, dear, I just want you to be happy."

The sentence gets the doctor like a slap, right in the face. She knows that's not true. She knows that her mother will not care about happiness when she'll understand that her daughter is a in love with a woman.

"No, don't..say that, mother. Just let me finish.."

Constance is flabbergasted. "Maura, how could you even think that I don't want what's best for you!"

"Here then," she snaps, angrily, "It's Jane. It's her. She's my person, I love her with all my heart and even more. Are you sure you're still happy now?" She has spat all of it in one breath and now she's panting loudly, her nostrils widening at every breath.

Constance doesn't answer and Jane doesn't move her hand from Maura's shoulder, even though she feels her girlfriend's skin burning underneath it. The blue-eyed woman has freezed at the detective's name, her pale complexion making her look nearly dead.

"Maura, is she okay.." Jane whispers to her girlfriend's ear.

"I don't think she is."

The woman gets up shaking from the couch. "Maura.."

The doctor reaches out grabbing Constance's skirt. "I love her, mom. I really do." Tears filling up her eyes, Maura calls her "mom" probably for the first time in all her life.

"I know."

Jane's jaw almost hit the floor and Maura's sobbing immediately stop. "Pardon?"

"Angela told me."

"I swear to God this time I'll arrest my mother," hisses Jane, but Constance cuts her.

"She thought I knew. She obviously thought you told me.. Just like you told her." The woman moves her gaze from Jane to Maura. "We were talking, some minutes before you two arrived. She just casually said '_You know, I can tell this is gonna last. They love each other so much, I honestly can't wait for the proposal._'" Her blue eyes are glossy, showing how hurt is she. "And then you came in, and everyone was yelling things at you, hugging you, and.. I was there, standing still." The woman clears her throat. "I may not be the best mother ever, Maura, but I'm not dumb. I immediately understood who she was talking about."

"Mother.."

"You have _no idea_ how disappointed I am.."

The doctor can't help crying. "Mom-"

"In myself, Maura. I knew I haven't been the mother I wanted to be for you. And you just proved it to me now."

Both women are crying now. Constance walks up the hall and clutches her long fingers around the door handle. Right before opening it, she turns to Jane, smudged eyeshadow around her eyes, a tear streaming down her cheek.

"Love her. Please."

Jane wraps her arm around Maura's body, the doctor hiding her face into her dark curls, and nods. "I already do."

* * *

F_lashback._

_Some weeks have passed by since the Homicide Unit has filed Sean's case, and nothing has really bothered Jane's team in a few days, so the detective is more than surprise to see Casey Jones walking into the Police Department at 8 am sharp, while she's getting out of her car one morning to go to work._

_"What the f.." she thinks as she tosses her keys into her pocket. She practically runs after him, distractedly showing her badge to the guy at the front door trying to keep following Casey with her eyes._

_She doesn't reach the elevator in time, so she rushes up the stairs, getting to her floor before him._

_"Jane?" Casey gets out of the elevator, and she turns to him nonchalantly, trying to repress her shortness of breath._

_"Casey? Oh my God, what are you doing here?!" She walks to him, smiling politely._

_"I, uhm.. I got the week off, I had to do some check ups for my spine so…here I am."_

_Jane flicks her hair back with two fingers. "Wow, it's..good to see you."_

_"You look good too. I mean, it's great to see you..looking good." he babbles. "So, uhm.. What's up?"_

_"Oh, nothing much really, I was just-"_

_"Look who's here," Maura appears from the elevator, walking towards them, her stilettos clicking on the marble floor. "Casey."_

_"Doctor Isles."_

_"Oh please," she smiles, "Just Maura."_

_"Maura," he nods._

_The doctor turns to Jane, who's clearly trying to hide her discomfort with lip-biting._

_"Hope everything's okay..?" says the doctor, smiling forcedly._

_"Sure, I'm here for the week, check ups." He smiles too, just as unnaturally. _

_"Well, it was a pleasure to see you, but I'm afraid I gotta rush to work.. Join me later, Jane?" asks Maura, her eyes talking more than her words._

_"Yeah, I'll be there in a minute."_

_"Good." The doctor smiles and touches Jane's behind as she walks away, an imperceptible action to Casey, but very perceivable to Jane, who almost jumps on the spot._

_Casey notices her stiffness. "Are you okay?"_

_"Yeah I'm great. Uhm, do you mind? I kind of have work to do.."_

_"No sure, go on and save the world," he jokes. "See you around."_

_"Yeah."_

_"I would actually love to see you, around. Like, for a beer or something. We didn't really part in good terms, last time we saw each other."_

_Jane blushes. "Yeah, I know.. Sure, we can..catch up, I guess."_

_"Great."_

_"Cool." Jane ruffles her hair nervously. "See ya."_

_"Bye Janie."_

_She's already walking when he says that, but she does feel her legs going numb as he calls her Janie. He says it like it's a mock. She wants to respond, but she keeps walking. She's not going there with him again. She's not his anymore. Actually, she never has been._

_"Can you just lend me your scalpel?"_

_Maura giggles. "No, you're not going to stab anyone, not today. We have incomings!" she waves her pager at her._

_"I could feel it Maur. His smugness, when he called me 'Janie'. He's still so pissed that I broke up with him!"_

_"That's the way you see it. He was probably just calling you a nickname, to be friendly."_

_Jane's eyebrows raise disturbingly high. "You're kidding right?"_

_A crystalline laugh filled the lab. "Yes."_

_A few seconds later some nurses bring two bodies into the room. "Man, in his late forties, found dead at the beach from a woman who was jogging nearby."_

_"What a good morning for the early riser," says Maura, unzipping the black bag. "Anything else?"_

_"No ID, no personal effects on him.. Just this empty can of soda next to him."_

_"Alright. Thank you."_

_When the women are alone again, Jane sits on the empty autopsy table, looking at Maura examining the corpse._

_"He wants me to go grab a beer with him."_

_"Good," sighs the doctor, "so you two can finally settle things up. And you can stop worrying about him."_

_"I don't worry about him!"_

_"Baby, you so do. And it's understandable, I mean, you two didn't break in in the most gentle of ways. You feel like you have not shut things down properly with him."_

_Jane sighs. "Are you sure you are not actually a shrink? 'Cause you're pretty good at this stuff."_

_"Thank you. I did take some psychology courses back in college-"_

_"Of course you did." The detective jumps off of the table to reach her girlfriend. "You're not even jealous, are you?" she smirks, wrapping her arms around Maura's body._

_"Why should I be? You love me, don't you?" she smirks, bending her neck sideways to let Jane's lips play on her skin._

_"Aw, you bet I do.."_

_"Ouch!" Maura snaps gently. "Honey, no biting while I have tools in my hands!"_

_"Sorry beautiful.."_

_"Stop.." Maura whines, not really meaning it, the feeling of Jane's mouth on her shoulder actually making her loose the hold on her scalpel. "Jane.."_

_"Yes?"_

_"Just so that you know, we're having a mattress-talk later. With beer and everything."_

_Jane stops kissing her girlfriend. "What, why?"_

_"Because you need to."_

_The detective feels goosebumps all over her body. Maura feels her, she knows when she needs to talk, when she needs to eat, when she needs to breathe._

_Jane moves her mouth to the doctor's ear. "Why are you so perfect?"_

_"Ask my girlfriend, she has that effect on me."_

_Jane bites her earlobe playfully. "I'll see you later."_

_The detective is almost at the door, when she feels a hand on her shoulder. She turns, to find Maura's lips gently pressed on hers._

_"I love you detective."_

_"I love you more, doctor."_

_"No you don't."_

_"I'm pretty sure I do."_

_Maura grins within the kiss. "Try me."_

_"Later."_

_"Looking forward to it."_

* * *

Since the moment Constance has left the house, Maura spends the rest of the day in bed, Jane cleaning up and feeding her with cups of black lemon tea that Maura reluctantly keeps refusing but ends up bolting down.

They don't talk throughout the whole day, but it's not an uncomfortable silence, there has never been an awkward silence between Maura and Jane, not even now.

"Hey," the detective peeps into the bedroom that night, smiling weakly. "You hungry?"

Maura lays on her bed, staring at the ceiling. "Not really."

"Well, you'll eat tomorrow." Jane sits on the bed, careful not to move the mattress to much. "How are you feeling? I know it's a stupid question-"

"Rather miserable."

The detective runs a hand through the blonde locks of her girlfriend. "Do you need to be alone? I can go home if you-"

"Please stay."

Jane smiles, she's happy Maura wants her there. "Sure." The brunette lays down next to her, runs her finger on Maura's cheek, where just some hours before tears have run continuously. "You know, I think she needs some time. She will come back to you, eventually. I think she needs to deal with herself and her mistakes first."

"Jane.."

"Yes?"

"I'm scared she won't come back." The doctor's voice breaks at her last word.

"She will. She loves you Maura."

"I know she does. But she hates herself. And every time she'd look at me, she will see her mistakes. And.. I'm afraid she's not strong enough to deal with it."

Jane holds her tight against herself. "Baby."

"Despite everything, I love her and I want her to be happy. I want her to know her grandchild. I want her to-"

"And she will. I'll go get her myself if need be."

"My God Jane, I love you so much…"

Jane kisses Maura's head while she sobs, and they both remain there until they fell asleep listening to each other's breathing.


	16. Chapter 16

It takes a few days for Maura to go back to work full-time. She's five weeks pregnant now, temporarily motherless and all she craves is some distraction, an autopsy, something that could keep her mind off of herself. Of course, by now everyone knows about Jane and her but they have not told anyone about the baby yet.

It's about half past eight at night, the Department is quiet and Jane goes downstairs to check on Maura.

"Hey!"

"Hi," Maura is very focused and nods distractedly.

"What are you up to?"

The doctor takes her eyes off of the microscope. "Looking at some hair that doctor Pike has found on the victim of this morning. He left the to me to analyze, to "make me a part of the case". I think he's too embarrassed to admit that he is missing about ten dioptres. He can barely read the newspaper, let alone use the microscope!" she smirks.

"God I can't stand that guy…"

"Me neither. But what can we do," Maura turns her laptop on. "Okay, let me send these to the lab and then we're good to go."

"Great." Jane takes Maura's coat and purse, handing them to her. "Baby, I need to go get some groceries before going home, my fridge is empty.. Do you feel too tired or..?"

"No, I'll come, I do need to get some vegetables for Bass!" Maura takes off her gloves.

"Alright, let's go," Jane smiles and starts to walk and Maura follows her not before staring at the detective's behind for some seconds.

* * *

The supermarket is quite full for that time of the night, which makes it even more hateful for Jane to be there. She doesn't like groceries shopping, but she's really out of any form of food in her house.

"What are you doing?"

Jane looks up at Maura, whose eyes are disapprovingly staring at her.

"What do you mean?" asks the brunette, tossing a box of glazed donuts into the shopping cart.

"What do I mean?" Maura takes the box from the cart and and shows it to Jane. "That's like the most unhealthy thing I've ever seen in my life."

Jane cocks and eyebrow. "It's just chocolate donuts," she says, putting it right back into her cart.

"It's not, it's mostly sugar, preservatives, thickeners, glucose-"

"Okay, okay! Got your point, no donuts." She takes the oily box and places it on the shelf of the supermarket. "Happy?"

"It's not about making me happy, it's about you being healthy and ingest actual food, not chemicals."

"I know Maur, I know.." Jane keeps walking, trying to hide her annoyance.

The doctor suddenly feels bad. Jane has been helping and lovingly supporting her so much through these last days and all she can do to thank her is scolding her for wanting to buy processed food.

"Jane wait…" She runs tumbling a bit on her heels to reach her. "I didn't mean to.. You can buy them if you want."

The detective smirks sweetly. "Thanks for giving me permission, doctor. But no, I'll try to be healthy, for now."

Maura smiles.

They walk past the baby section, and they both automatically slow down. The doctor sighs as Jane counts twenty-two different brands of diapers.

"We're are going to need a bunch of this stuff very soon." Maura touches her arm sweetly.

"We are. I'm kind of excited." says Jane, looking at her girlfriend.

"Me too. I hope that's what's best for him, or her."

"_That_ meaning us?" asks Jane, smiling. "Then yes, we're definitely what's best for him. Or her."

Maura looks at the brunette, her glossy green eyes open wide. "I love you Jane. I'm sorry you had to go through all this..mess, lately, because of me."

"Maur, I want to stay beside you, through good times and bad times. You know how I don't like it when I don't see a smile on that gorgeous face of yours. I love you, pretty girl."

Maura kisses her sweetly, their lips locked as if they are glued together.

The women keep walking for a few minutes, when the doctor spots some chocolate glaze on a shelf and her eyes enlighten.

"Honey, do we have anything planned out for tonight?"

"Nope, why?"

The blonde smirks, glancing at Jane. "I think I got an idea that could make up for those donuts."

* * *

"It's very easy, I promise, it's the easiest cake to make. It just takes a long time to bake," Maura is wearing her favorite apron and is holding a pot, into which she has put chopped up chocolate to melt. "And it's going to be better than any chocolate donut you've ever tried, trust me."

Jane smiles, she likes to see Maura wandering around in the kitchen, it makes her feel cozy and safe.

"What's its name again?" asks the detective.

"_Sachertorte_. It was invented in Wien in 1832. It's delicious, I'm surprised you've never heard of it."

"Sorry I was more of a cannoli lover." Jane smirks. "Anyway, can I help you with it, google mouth?"

Maura makes a face and turns the oven on. "Yes, thank you, you can beat butter and sugar together."

"Wonderful," Jane takes a whisk and a bowl. "So.. I was thinking we could get a place like..the two of us. Living together, you know, it would makes everything much easier. If you feel like it of course."

Maura turns around, her mouth forming a little O. "Baby...of course I feel like it." She smiles and starts giggling uncontrollably.

"What's with the withheld laughter?" frowns Jane.

"Nothing just… I mean, the past two weeks have just been a pain in the ass for the both of us and… It's incredible how you never _ever_ give up on me, on us. Everyone else I can think of would have left me behind in a situation like this, I'm pretty sure."

Jane is confused. "What do you mean?"

"I…I guess I'm not used to someone this wonderful and caring as you are."

"Well, that's not gonna change, so get used to it because-"

Maura cuts her with a firm kiss on the lips that causes Jane to stagger and drop the whisk.

The doctor moves the bowl with a hand to avoid spilling everything on the counter, and starts working on Jane's belt.

The brunette feels her body on fire, it has been ages since Maura has kissed her like that and sure as hell now she's not wasting this chance. She misses Maura, she misses feeling her skin with her mouth, she misses her smell, she misses all of her. Her long fingers tangle into Maura's honey-blonde locks, pushing harder on her mouth, tongue begging for entrance.

As the doctor starts to loose up a little, Jane unties the back of her apron and pushes her against the fridge.

The chocolate on the burner has completely melt by now, and Maura expertly turns off the gas with a hand while pulling Jane closer by the shirt with the other.

The brunette grabs her girlfriend's waist and starts walking towards the bedroom without leaving her lips, but Maura stops her.

"You go, I'll be there in a second." she whispers.

Jane raises an eyebrow but doesn't answer back, she starts walking towards Maura's room instead, unbuttoning her shirt.

Maura bites her lip excitedly and turns to the pot full of chocolate, pours it inside a bowl and heads to Jane. She checks herself on the mirror and revives her hair before entering the room.

"Maur?" she hears the detective's raspy voice calling her.

"I'm coming!"

She gets in and closes the door of the bedroom behind her. Jane is sitting on the bed in her lingerie: she's perfect, a leg curled up against her torso and the other dangling over the edge of the bed; her dark curls are covering her shoulders brushing against the strap of her bra, her intense brown eyes looking up at her.

Maura remains still, her back leaning on the door and the bowl of liquid chocolate in her hands, admiring her beautiful detective.

"I thought we had postponed the baking," says Jane, smirking.

"And I thought you may wanna try this in a slightly different way." The doctor leaves the bowl on the bed and slowly strips in front of Jane. Her skirt falls at her feet, her blazer and her top quickly join it. She rolls her stockings down her legs, kicking them off.

Jane watches her, barely capable of sitting still and not jump at her, and Maura crawls up on the bed, her face now just inches away from the detective's.

The blonde slowly dips a finger into the chocolate and runs it over her girlfriend's mouth. She gets closer, the smell of chocolate filling her nostrils, and softly traces Jane's lip with her own tongue. "You're delicious," she whispers, seductive.

Jane smiles and puts her hands on Maura's back, tracing her spine, and the doctor shivers. She feels the brunette's hand on her bra, and a second after this pops open, falling down her arms.

Jane's face is now buried into Maura's neck, her tongue working on her collarbone. "God, I missed the taste of your skin.."

"Jane.."

The detective's never heard anything more arousing in her entire life. She grabs Maura's hips and raises her, making her lay on her back. "I love you…" She kisses her way down to the blonde's stomach, slipping Maura's silk panties down her perfect legs.

"I love you Jane…Oh my God!"

The doctor feels the chocolate poured on her belly. She arches her back, Jane's hands holding firmly on her thighs. Her head spins due to the pleasure. She misses Jane, she has never realized how much, and now she's voracious and demanding.

The brunette kisses her legs, her body, her everything. She needs to feel her, marking her body with her mouth. Maura pulls on her long hair, growling and moaning.

Jane crawls up to her, kissing and biting her neck. "God, you and the taste of chocolate, I could live off of this.."

Maura laughs, her perfect teeth sparkling in the semi-darkness of the room. Jane touches the tip of her nose, leaving a dark mark of chocolate on it.

"You're perfection.." Jane delicately spreads her girlfriend's legs.

"Yes, Jane, please…"

Jane does just as Maura asks. Their bodies soon become one, their paces synchronized and their breaths short and loud. Maura drags her fingernails down Jane's back and the detective leaves a remarkable number of love bites all over her girlfriend's body.

Maura loses the ability to speak as she rides out of her climax. "Fuck, Jane. That was…wow."

Jane turns her head at her slowly. "Excuse me? Did you just swear?"

The doctor bites her lip, guilty. She stretches out, pulling Jane's bra. "I'm sorry, it just-"

"-it was the sexiest thing." The brunette kisses her passionately while Maura reaches the bowl of chocolate with a hand and smiles.

"Your turn, gorgeous."

* * *

Jane wakes up achy and extremely happy. She stretches and finds her fingers intertwined with Maura's.

After a couple of minutes, she sits up and watches her girlfriend: she is sleeping peacefully, her blonde locks framing her pretty face. Her stomach goes up and down: it's not so perfectly flat and toned anymore, Jane can actually see a slight bulge. A baby, their baby. The detective runs her finger on Maura's cheek, and the blonde slowly opens her eyes.

"Mmm, 'morning."

"Good morning, amore*."

The doctor smirks, she knows enough italian to appreciate the name her girlfriend has given her.

"How are you feeling?"

"Cranky," Maura yawns and sits up. "But amazing. I mean, if sex during pregnancy always feels this way, I want round two right now!"

They both laugh, and Jane suffocates their giggles with a sweet kiss.

"Man, it's kind of late. I'm gonna go have a shower, is that okay?"

"Sure baby," the blonde gets up and wears her dressing gown over nothing. "I'm gonna make some breakfast."

"I love you."

"I love you more."

* * *

Jane enters the Police Department just an hour later.

"Buongiorno** Janie!" her mother blocks her at the door of the café. "How's it going?"

"It's going great Ma', how are you?" The detective tries to walk past her to get some coffee but Angela jumps in front of her again. "We're out of coffee."

"Uhm, okay.. Ma' what are you doing, why can't I-"

"Hi Janie."

She freezes. His voice hits her in the face like a punch. He peeps from behind her mother, who steps back with a guilty look in her eyes.

Jane watches him as he walks towards her, smiling cockily.

"…Casey?"

Casey nods at her, his hands into his pockets. "That's me. I'm back."

* * *

*** amore: italian for love.**

**** buongiorno: italian for good morning.**


	17. Chapter 17

**Everything in _italics_ is a flashback. Enjoy! xx**

* * *

_Flashback__ (a continuation of the previous flashback)_

_As Maura suggested, Jane accepted to go grab a beer with Casey. _

_That night she arrives at the Dirty Robber at 9, still in her work clothes, exhausted and willing to end that evening as soon as possible and go to sleep._

_"Hey," she greets Casey distractedly, taking place opposite him on the table._

_"Hi. I ordered you a beer."_

_"Thanks." She takes the bottle and takes two long sips. "So, what do you want to talk about?"_

_He smiles, he's not really craving to jump right to the point. "I don't know, how are you?"_

_Jane raises her brows, this is gonna be a long evening. "I'm fine." She drinks. "What about you?"_

_"I'm going back to Afghanistan tomorrow."_

_"That doesn't really answer the question, but.."_

_Casey smirks. "I'm sorry. I'm okay."_

_"Good." She keeps pulling on her hair, twisting and torturing it between her fingers._

_"I missed you Jane. I still do." he blurts out after some seconds._

_The detective stiffens; that's not what she wanted to talk about. "I…I'm sorry, that's not-"_

_"I know you don't wanna talk about this. But I did not reacted properly when you…well, broke up with me. I want you to know that I've thought about you ever since."_

_"Casey, that was more than four months ago."_

_"It doesn't matter.."_

_"It so does! For example, why did you wait all this time to tell me that you missed me?" She's already pissed ad she tries to stay calm in vain._

_"I needed…time, to think."_

_"Damn it, Casey!" She slams her hand on the table. "You see what your problem is? You cannot take your time to think and expect that people will wait for you every single time! You're not the center of everybody's universe!"_

_"All I want is to be the center of your universe, Jane."_

_She wants to gag, he's never been that romantic, it's almost like he's faking it. "Please, let it go."_

_"I know I wasn't with you all the time, I know I've never given you stability, but-"_

_"Let it go, Casey! You told me these things a million times, you swore you would change because you loved me and you never ever kept your promises!"_

_"Oh, is that me we're talking about now?!" He jumps up and yells back at her, but at her surprise he immediately sits back down. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I just.. My life has been so empty and frustrating since you left me, Jane."_

_The detective crosses her arms. "I'm sorry, but I told you why I did it, I'm sure it was best for both of us."_

_"It's not-"_

_"Well then call me selfish, but it was best for me!" She gets her tone higher, at the edge of a hysterical break down. "I was not myself when we were dating. Always alert, always disappointed, always…alone. I am sorry but I won't make up my mind. Now, if you wanna talk about something else, I could-"_

_"Jane, please! Give me another chance." He is begging her, something he would have never done before. Jane feels uncomfortable, she doesn't like to be begged. Unless Maura does it and they are in the bedroom._

_"I've given you tons of chances, Casey." She gets up, finishing her beer. "I have to go."_

_She starts walking towards the door, then her car, but he stops her._

_"Wait." He looks serious, and sad. "Let me.. At least let me ask you one more thing."_

_She grunts. "Go ahead."_

_"Don't you miss us?"_

_Jane looks at him straight in the eyes. "No, I don't." She turns to the car, but he violently pulls her back toward him, taking her wrist, holding it tight._

_"Who is he."_

_Jane stiffens. "Ouch, don't- Wait, what? Him?"_

_"You are seeing someone. I feel it. Who is he."_

_He's angry now. Jane sees his arm tremble but he doesn't let the hold on her. He's strong, it hurts._

_"What are you-"_

_He shushes her with a violent kiss on the lips. Jane stares at him in shock, before pushing him away. _

_"What the actual fuck, Casey?!"_

_"Just keep in mind, whoever you're fucking, he's not worth the time. You're gonna miss me Jane, you'll come back to me."_

_She instinctively puts her hand over her gun. He sounds mad, he sounds crazy. His eyes are wide open and he looks like she's never seen him before._

_"I'm not fucking anyone." She tries to sound calm, but the words are dying in her throat._

_He laughs, an evil and sarcastic laugh. "You so are."_

_"Anyway that's none of your goddamn business."_

_He gets closer to her, she can smell his breath, it's beer. He runs his nose on her neck, inspiring her scent._

_"I promise the moment I find him I'm gonna kick the shit out of him." He's whispering into her ear, she shivers._

_"Casey take your hand off of me."_

_He seems like he's regained consciousness of himself. He lets her wrist go and runs a hand through his hair. "I.. I'm sorry, I didn't.."_

_"You better not come around me again."_

_Jane pushes him back hard and he doesn't resist her. She gets into her car, slams the door and drives to her house as fast as she can. _

_She parks in front of her apartment, but she doesn't get out of the vehicle just yet. Hands over the heel, she feels a tear streaming down her face. She feels rage burning inside her, so she cries, she cries and screams. She's impotent, she's empty, she's weak. She wants Maura, but at the same time she knows that her girlfriend must not know about what just happened with Casey, or she would be in danger._

* * *

"…Casey?"

Casey nods at her, his hands into his pockets. "That's me. I'm back."

"What the hell are you doing here?" Her tone is accusatory, her hand already in her gun.

"I got injured again. Nothing serious, just.." He rolls up the sleeve of his jacket, showing a bandage on his lower arm. "I still have some small bomb fragments inside the wound, they couldn't take them out so they sent me back to Boston for surgery, which I'm having..." he checks the clock, "in about three hours. I thought I could stop by to…talk."

"Sorry, not interested." Jane starts walking towards her office, Casey follows her. "Please Jane, you never returned my calls-"

"You don't say? I expressively told you not to come around me again."

She's standing in front of the elevators, not willing to go to work until she's sure that he's out of there.

"I had too much to drink, I lost my mind, I-"

"YOU SO DID! Now, get out of here, get your fucking surgery and go back to fucking Afghanistan!"

She's really yelling, so he takes her arm and trails her to a quieter place. "There's no need to make a scene, Jane-"

She bursts in laughter. "Oh my God, _no need to make a scene_? You're unbelievable."

He's guilty look makes her want to slap him.

"Get. Out."

"Jane, this is unfair.."

"UNFAIR? Do I have to remind you that you gave me an ultimatum to marry you or you would have gone back to Afghanistan?! _That_ was unfair. What kind of person does that, Casey?" She notices that she's yelling again, and lowers her voice. "Get your ass out of here or I'll have you escorted outside from the cops."

"You are the cops, Jane."

She grunts. "Fine." She grabs his injured arm violently and quickly walks up the hall. "Here," she opens the doors. "Get out."

He heads outside still looking at Jane, so he doesn't see that he's about to bump into someone.

"Maura!" shouts Jane.

By the time Casey realizes what's happening, he's already crushing into the medical examiner, who is entering the Department in that exact moment.

The impact nearly makes Maura fall, but Jane quickly grabs her waist and pushes the blonde towards her.

"Babe are you okay?"

The blonde looks around, confused. "Y..yes, I'm fine."

Casey has quickly regained balance and is looking at the two women like mesmerized.

"_Babe_?" he stutters, incredulous.

"Why are you still here, I told you to get out," Jane scoffs.

"Jane why are you talking to him like th-"

"Maur, I got this, trust me."

Casey is still shocked. "You two are joking right?" he manages to ask, after a moment.

Maura turns to Jane and then to him. "What.."

"Get out." Jane's voice is deep and serious, she's not relaxed now that Maura is here. She's afraid he could hurt her, so she steps in front of the doctor. "Get out!"

"Fine!" he yells back at her. "You and your slut have fun."

Jane feels her brain on fire. "You piece of crap, what did you just say?"

He doesn't answer her, so Jane steps towards him, pulling his shirt so that he turns to her again. As soon as his eyes meet Jane's, she lands a precise punch right on his face. He stumbles but he doesn't fall.

"You don't talk to her like that. Make sure I don't see you ever again, or I swear to God after I put my hands on you you'll have to live in surgery."


	18. Chapter 18

Casey has just disappeared covering with a hand his bleeding nose.

Maura is beyond confused, her gaze travels quickly from her girlfriend to the now empty pavement.

"Jane, would you mind…explain?" she asks when she manages to regain the ability to speak.

"That fucker." Jane's face is red, she's panting, her back stuck to the cold glass doors of the department. "He's a dead man."

"Jane!"

The detective suddenly realizes that she's still holding firmly, maybe a bit too firmly, on her girlfriend's waist and lets her go.

"I'm sorry, Maur. Are you okay?"

"Yes, yes.." The doctor smooths her dress and tries to make sense of her now tangled mess of hair. "What happened? What was that?!" Her eyes are worried and wide, looking for the answer in Jane's chocolate ones.

"I…He…" Jane covers her mouth with a hand, running towards the nearest bathroom.

* * *

Two seconds later Maura reaches her. The brunette is leaning on the sink, her shoulders going up and down, tears slowly dripping from her face.

The doctor hesitates, but eventually walks up to her. She raises Jane's chin with a finger, removing her messy curls from her face.

"Jane.."

"I got scared as hell, Maura, he could've hurt you, and I swear to God if anything happens to you I'll.."

Maura feels a hole in her stomach when she hears how deep and broken her girlfriend's voice is. "What are you talking about? Why would he hurt me?" she tries.

Jane hugs her tightly, so tightly that Maura gasps, missing oxygen for a second. "Baby, I don't understand.."

"He's mad, Maura. He's gone crazy." Jane sniffs loudly and lets the blonde go, still holding her hand. "When we had a drink together the last time he was here, he..he asked me to give him another chance, to get back together. And when I refused and left the bar, he said that he knew I was fucking someone else and he would have kicked the shit out of him as soon as he found out who he was."

Maura is shocked. "You never told me that.."

"I wanted to protect you."

"Jane-"

"I'm sorry, I should have told you.. But I was just so scared."

Maura nods and rubs her shoulder, trying to make sense out of Jane's words.

The detective's eyes fill up with tears again. "Crap, now he knows it's you.." she whispers, crying.

Again, that hole, that feeling right inside her stomach. Maura doesn't like to see Jane cry, it just kills her to see her suffering. "Sweetie, sweetie, it's okay. He's going back to Afghanistan anyway, isn't he? He cannot stay here. He won't hurt us."

"He'll better not hurt _you_, or I'll kill him with my bare hands."

"Jane, come on, don't be impulsive.."

"I'm not gonna be relaxed until he's back there Maura. He-"

"He wouldn't hurt me! You know him Jane, think about it, he's a Lieutenant. He would never risk his position just to get his revenge. They would kick him out the army as soon as he scratches me." She caresses Jane's wet cheek with the back of her hand. "We're talking about Casey here. He wouldn't hurt me."

Maura means the things she's saying, she knows that Casey would not have the guts to do anything to her or to Jane. At least, that's what she hopes.

Jane looks up at her, her girlfriend has a point. Bu still, she's not convinced.

"Maybe you're right. But I want to know that he's in Afghanistan before I let down my guard."

Maura kisses her sweetly and Jane pulls her into a hug that makes the doctor bury her face into her girlfriend's dark curls.

"No one is gonna touch you Maura, I promise." she cries.

Although this is more of a reassurance to herself than to Maura, Jane can feel the blonde smiling against her neck. "I know detective, because I trust you. And I love you."

* * *

_A few weeks later._

"Stab abrasion, about 3 inches long, on the upper chest." Maura traces the wound with her gloved fingers. "Contusions on the left arm and left side of the lower torso."

"Someone has beaten him pretty hard." Jane has just arrived and walks towards Maura and the body, all around the crime scene is very crowded.

The detective kneels down to look at the victim. "Look at him, he's so young.."

Maura turns her head at her. "Fourteen, precisely. They found an ID in his pocket, he would have turned fifteen in a couple of weeks."

Jane bends to give a closer look to the body, but the fruity scent of Maura's hair destabilizes her.

"Mmm, I love it."

"Yes, that's a pretty bad stab."

Jane laughs. "I was talking about your perfume."

"Oh." The doctor bits her lips. "Thank you."

"Doc, I found this hammer..it's looks bloody." Frost hands her the item from behind, and she examines it closely.

"Reddish stains… Could be rust… I have to give a closer look to this, send it to the lab," she says, going back to the boy laying in front of her. "It looks like they kicked him hard. See these bruises? They're too extended to come from that small hammer."

"Yeah.." Jane follows Maura's hand while they quickly run over the boy's skin, showing her the dark marks.

Korsak calls Jane from the sidewalk, he's talking to a girl, probably a witness or a friend of the victim.

"Great. I'll go see what's going on there Maur. See you later?"

"Sure. Oh, don't forget," she gets closer to Jane, making sure that no one can hear her, "I have my ultrasound today, five sharp."

Jane is caught off guard. She did not remember that. "Crap.."

Maura gives her a look, and the detective quickly corrects herself. "No I mean, I totally remembered that. I'll pick you up at half past four."

The doctor frowns at her girlfriend's white lie but flashes her a sweet smile before walking to her car: she has a lot of work to do and she will have time to complain about Jane's limping memory later.

* * *

Later that afternoon, Angela walks into Jane's office, where she's ruffling some papers looking for something.

"Hi Janie! I brought you some coffee."

"Hey Ma'.." The detective doesn't raise her head, she's too concentrated. "Frost, for God's sake, where is the document that we got from the lab like five minutes ago? Why does everything in here disappear in a matter of seconds?!" she calls.

"Here, Jane." Maura peeps from the door, a sheet of paper in her hands. "There was a print mistake, I had it corrected."

"Oh, alright. Thanks babe," she snatches it and runs to the photocopy machine.

"Uhm, _babe_.."

Jane freezes and looks at Maura. "Yes?"

"We..should go…" The doctor points at the watch and Angela looks at them confused.

"Go? Where? Another murder?"

Jane understands. "No, uhm.. Maura has to… Uhm.."

"I have an appointment! Eye-specialist, I've been on a waiting list for weeks.. I need someone to drive me home afterwards because I'm going to be blur-sighted, because of the collyrium." Maura sounds so natural that Jane is surprised she hasn't already passed out for hives. Now that she looks at her, she notices that the doctor is already scratching her neck.

"Exactly, you know eye drops. Let's go Maur," she grabs the doctor's arm and quickly walks to the door. "See you Ma'! Thanks for the coffee!"

* * *

As they get into Jane's car, Maura lets out a suffocated scream. "I hate it I hate it I hate it!" She nervously scratches her beautiful swan neck, that's now red and itchy.

Jane tries to hold a laugh and kisses her sweetly. "You did amazing honey."

"I hate it when I have to lie Jane! I hate it!" she whines.

"I know Maur," the detective starts the car and starts driving, "but don't think about it now. We're gonna tell them soon, and you won't have to lie again, I promise."

The doctor sighs and fastens her seatbelt.

They spend a couple of minutes in a soothing silence, until Maura breaks the quiet of the vehicle.

"What if they don't get this? What if they think I'm a slut and we're just doing it for the attention, what if-"

Jane almost hits on the breaks. "Hey, hey, what are you even talking about? Haven't you seen how my family behaves around TJ? The Rizzoli _love_ babies, all of them, no matter whose babies are they. In this case, they will love this kid even more because it's ours."

Maura sits up straight, her back glued to the seat. Jane notices that she's sweating, she's anxious.

"I see how many people look at us, Jane. "_The detective and the dead people doctor that work together and then hook up._" It's like induced lesbianism, men perceive it as if we team up to show them we're stronger than they think we are. They don't believe it."

"Okay first of all, how the hell did you come up with all this? And second of all, even if what you say it's true-"

"Which it is."

"-alright, but I don't care! I don't need people to believe in us to have the beautiful life I have and want to have with you!"

Maura smiles. Jane always has the right words at the right moment.

"And trust me, we could as well have found a baby on the street, my mom would just be psyched about it. She couldn't even hold TJ for the first weeks of his life without bursting into tears of joy!" giggles the detective.

Maura laughs. "I love your mother."

"Yeah, she's pretty cool."

As she parks in front of the hospital, Jane takes a deep breath. "I'm kinda nervous" she admits, drying her sweaty hands on her jeans.

"Me too." Maura is still sat, looking at the parking lot in front of her, taking deep breaths with her eyes closed.

Jane has a dreamy grin on her lips as she watches Maura psyching herself up. She can't believe how beautiful she is, how every single part of her body is just perfection added on perfection.

"This baby is just gonna be dangerously cute." she finds herself saying as Maura opens her eyes.

The blonde smirks awkwardly, Jane loves how her whole face lights up when she smiles.

"Come on, let's go meet our little one."


	19. Chapter 19

**That's like the longest chapter ever. I felt like I owed you guys something, you're always so kind and interested.**

**Thanks, I love you all! let me know what you think :3**

* * *

They are sitting in the waiting room, Maura leafing through a magazine and Jane torturing her own hands, her legs shaking a little.

"How can you be so calm?" she asks, heavily sitting on the chair next to Maura's.

"Baby, it's just an ultrasound. An early one too, by the way, I'm probably like twelve weeks." says the blonde doctor, her eyes still on the magazine.

"You think? What is it, like, three months? And when can they tell you if it's a boy or a girl?" Jane is asking hysterically, everyone in the room is staring at her. "Maur, I can't believe how calm you are right now!"

"Ms Isles?" A nurse peeps from a room in front of them.

"Oh shit." says Jane as she jumps off of the chair.

"I'm not calm at all, I'm just trying to contain my excitement." Maura gets up and follows the detective into the room. "I don't want to sound like those mother who freak out about the smallest thing even when their baby is the size of a peanut."

* * *

"_Oh my God, Jane, oh my God, look, oh my God!_" Maura lets it all out in a whisper as the doctor runs the scan over her bump. Some shapes start to appear on the screen, and a few moments later the doctor is pointing out the small body parts of the fetus.

"See, it's not so clear, but this is the head, this is the back and..oh, here, this is an arm, see?"

Jane and Maura have the same expression on their faces, their jaw is almost on the floor and their eyes couldn't be more open. They're holding hands, Maura squeezes Jane's so hard that her knuckles are white.

"The baby is not in the best of positions, but you can clearly see its body." She moves on the side of Maura's belly. "Here, a leg. See? Tiny foot, leg, thigh.."

Jane is sweating and squeezing Maura's hand, her legs shaking, she has to sit down.

"Oh my God Jane!"

"Now you definitely sound like one of those psychic mommies." laughs the detective, and Maura does the same.

"Oh, I don't care, just look, oh my God!"

The blonde is teary and giggles hysterically, and Jane can't help but bite her lip until it hurts to avoid screaming because of the excitement.

"So," says the doctor, a middle-aged woman with long ginger hair, "the fetus is healthy, pulse is good, you are a little over 13 weeks." She wipes the cold gel off of Maura's belly and help her sit up.

The doctor reaches her desk. "Everything's normal so, unless you have any specific requests, I would set the next appointment for next month, when we will be most likely to find out the gender, if you wish!"

"Oh my God.." Maura has a hand over her mouth.

"Yes! Yes please, next month will be perfect." blurts Jane, as she understands that her girlfriend is getting too emotional to talk.

* * *

Just as the couple gets out of the hospital, Jane gets paged.

"Shoot, it's Frost, they need me there. Are you coming or you want me to drop you home?"

"Actually, Susie just texted me, she's still behind on the examinations so there would be no point for me in going to the lab now.. You go Jane, I'll walk home."

"But I can drive you-"

"No really, I'd like to take a walk, breath some fresh air, relax." Maura smiles, a smile that sets calm and peace into Jane's heart.

"Alright baby, as you wish." She leans in for a kiss, and the doctor lingers in it with pleasure.

"I'm happy, really happy." whispers Jane.

Maura smirks, touching Jane's lips with a finger. "I'm so happy. Thank you."

"Thank me? I'm not the one that put that little guy inside you. Thank him."

"No, thank you. For being just as perfect as I ever thought you would be. Just, a little more."

Jane feels her heart melt into a puddle. There's literally nowhere else she would want to be right now, nowhere but into Maura's arms. She asks herself how did she go on all these years without being with her, still she has no answer.

A few kisses later, their lips bitterly part.

"Do you want me to get chinese for dinner tonight?" asks the detective before getting into her car.

"I'd love to!"

Jane smiles. Maura is beautiful, the wind ruffling her soft hair.

"I love you."

"I love you too."

* * *

"Patrick Frey, 24 years old, white male. His DNA was found on the victim's body, together with some jeans fabric. All we know about him is that he spent the first night of his senior year in jail because he was selling weed at a college party. No reports of him ever since." As Korsak finishes talking, Jane gets up to pin the picture of Patrick next to the one they had taken of the victim, John Sleight, the fourteen-year-old boy they found the day before dead on the street.

"Do we know if the two knew each other?"

"The mother of the victim has never seen or heard of this Patrick Frey before, but a close friend of John told us she's seen them hanging out a few times, so they most definitely knew each other." Frost types something on the keyboard as he talks.

"Looks like our guy is on Facebook.." They all walk towards Frost's computer as he keeps typing. "Seems that he hardly ever logs in.. There are no updates on his profile concerning the last year whatsoever.." Frost keeps searching. "Oh-oh!"

"What?" Jane gives a closer look to the monitor but jerks away instantly. "What is that?!" she asks disgusted, trying to focus her gaze somewhere else.

"That…is a chat room. Not any chat room, is a strictly pornographic chat room. Now I see why he didn't spend his time on social networks." He turns the projector on, so that everyone in the room could see what he's doing.

"He used to log in several times a day…under the nickname _theboss809_.. Here's a list of all the girls he used to chat more often with." A long list of faces and nicknames appears on the screen.

"Wow. Those are some dirty nicks. My God, how do they even come up with those things? Ew.." Jane is beyond disgusted, but tries to act as professionally as she could. "All of them are very stereotypical though. Blondes, light-colored eyes, considerable-sized rack.."

Frost and Korsak both turn to her in shock.

"What? Would you prefer if I said big boobs?" she asks, nonchalantly.

"Whatever, now we know his weakness, living barbie-dolls." says Frost, trying to change the topic.

Jane scans all the icons projected on the wall: they're all really pretty girls, many of them definitely under age. One of them in particular catches Jane's eye.

"Frost can you open _BabyDoll94_ account please?" she asks.

The girls was nineteen, extremely pretty. Jane is sure as hell she's seen her before. "Guys.. Doesn't she ring a bell?"

Both Korsak and Frost shake their heads.

She tries harder. Where has she seen this girl already? Who is..

"I got her! She..she's his sister!" Jane points at the picture of the victim. "I'm sure! I remember talking to her when I went to John's house to tell his mother.."

"What? This girl is the victim's sister?"

"Well, yes. Adopted, their mother told me, but yes, she's indeed his sister, I remember talking to her."

"Well, then I'd say we go talk to her first." Frost gets up and puts his jacket on. "Korsak, wanna come?"

"I can't, I have a couple of classmates of the victim to talk to. Let me know when you're finished alright?"

"Gotcha."

* * *

Jane and Frost get to the Sleight household, a small cottage just outside Boston. They knock and a few seconds later a middle-aged woman in a gown opens the door.

"Detectives," she says as she recognizes them. "What brings you here? Do you have any news?"

"Actually yes. Is your daughter home?"

The woman immediately looks confused. "No.. She should be here any minute though, she usually gets home from school around this time.. What happened? Why are you looking for Anne?"

"We think your daughter may know the suspect of John's murder."

* * *

Ten minutes later, Anne gets home from school.

Frost is looking around John's bedroom and Jane is in the living room with mrs Sleight when she gets in.

"Mom, I'm ho-" she freezes as she sees them. "Detective." She carefully puts her bag down and walks toward her mother. "What happened?"

"Detective Rizzoli wants to ask you some questions honey."

"Yeah. Could you please leave us alone for a couple of minutes?" asks Jane, and the woman walks to the kitchen as Anne and Jane sit at the living room table.

"We think you probably know the guy who's first on our list of suspects, the guy who may or may not have killed your brother, even if you don't know it's him."

"What? I don't know who killed my brother, what are you-"

"No, just listen." Jane lowers her voice. "Are you familiar with the nickname _theboss809_?"

Anne's face immediately turns to bright red. "I.. I don't know.."

"Anne, please, we need your help and trust to find who killed your brother. Do you know this guy?" Jane pulls out a picture of Patrick Frey. The girl looks at it like hypnotized, then turns to the detective sitting opposite her.

"Is it him? He's the guy who killed John?"

"Do you know him?"

Anne sighs. "Yes. We..used to chat. A lot."

Jane nods. "We found his DNA on your brother's body. But we do not know if he actually killed him."

The girls covers her face with her hands and Jane pats her arm gently. "You said you used to chat with him. Are you two not in touch anymore?"

"No, no.. We.. At the beginning he was completely fine, nice guy, we talked a lot.. Then he started asking for..pictures."

"What kind of pictures?"

"Pictures of me…naked…"

Jane feels a grip in her stomach. "And what did you do?"

"I stopped replying to his messages. It was weird, I didn't want to.." Tears start running down Anne's face.

Jane keeps rubbing her arm, slowly and gently.

"It's okay, it's okay…"

"I'm sorry.." sniffs the girl.

"You don't have to be."

"Did he killed John because of me? Because I didn't want to send him the pictures?" she asks, terrified.

"I…I don't know. But I'll do my best to find out. Okay? Don't cry."

Frost appears behind Anne, giving her a start. "I'm detective Frost. I promise we'll do whatever we can."

The girl tries to stop sobbing, unsuccessfully. "Thank you."

* * *

That evening they are at Jane's.

Empty take-away boxes are on the living room table, a blanket is not very neatly folded on one end of the couch, and the women are sitting, the TV on but mute in front of them. Maura is chewing her last forkful of noodles and Jane is next to her, sipping a beer.

"Well I'm fuuuull." The doctor wipes her mouth with a napkin and smiles. "And now that we're finished, any news on the case?" she winks as she gets up to throw away some boxes. They have a deal that they wouldn't talk about work during meals, to give themselves a break.

"Yeah kind of. We found a connection between the only suspect we have and the victim's sister."

"Connection such as.."

"The used to chat. As in _chat_." she hints, eloquently.

"Uh, _chat_." Maura gets back from the kitchen gently scratching her belly. "Susie told me she had some more DNA matches."

"Yeah she sent us something, I think Frost got it."

The doctor sits back on the couch, snuggling against Jane.

"You don't really wanna talk about work, do you?" she asks as she places her head on Jane's chest.

"Do you mind? It has been a hard day."

"Of course not."

Maura breathes in deeply. She inhales Jane's scent, she loves it. Jane always smells sweet and clean, even after a tough day at work, even after a workout for all that matters.

The blonde smiles weakly and starts playing with the buttons of her cardigan.

"I was walking home after the ultrasound today and I passed by a house on sale. And I thought about how you told me we should move in together."

Jane almost chokes on her beer. "Y-yes, I told you that."

"Well, I thought.. I know this is not really fair, but.. My house is pretty big, and comfortable, for a family of three."

"Plus my mother, though.." adds Jane, a note of disappointment in her voice.

"Exactly, so I thought about this. We could.. You could move in with me, and your mom could..come live here."

Jane doesn't really answer, and Maura looks at her, the wait is killing her, even if it's just seconds. She has been thinking about this for some days, but she really didn't want Jane to think her place wasn't enough for the both of them. Even though it actually wasn't.

"It's a solid idea."

Maura wakes up from her thoughts as she hears Jane's voice. "Really? You like it?"

"Yes. I mean, it's perfect, if you think about it. Ma' gets my place and we live together at yours. It's actually a great, great idea." Jane smiles at Maura and takes her hand. "It's gonna be beautiful."

The doctor sighs, placing her head on the hollow of the brunette's neck. "Then I guess it's settled."

"I guess it is."

"Are you excited? Your heart is racing." says Maura, after a while.

"I am. It's all happened so fast, still it feels so good."

Maura giggles. "Can you believe we've only been together for three months?"

"They have been intense though. It does feel like I've been with you forever."

"Well, technically we did. I mean, we have been friend, like close friends, for nearly three years."

Jane bends on Maura's blonde hair and kisses her girlfriend's head. "Still I can't get enough of you."

"You don't have to, detective."

* * *

About an hour and some tender love-making on the couch later, the two women head to Jane's bedroom.

"What did you think of me the very first time we worked together?" asks the detective as she slips into her pajamas.

Maura, who's wearing a loose shirt of Jane's and is already sitting on her side of the bed, looks at her surprised. "I don't think I even remember when was the very first time we got to work together!"

"What?! You don't?" Jane laughs and a pillow lands on Maura's face before she can notice.

"I'm joking! Joking! Of course I remember!" Maura smiles and sits more comfortably, her legs stretched in front of her. "Well, the first crime scene we got together, I remember you having the worst stain of coffee on your t-shirt and Frost was making fun of you for it."

Jane looks disappointed as she reaches the doctor and sits next to her. "Really? That's all you remember?"

"Jane, it was right there, on your chest, it was impossible not to notice it." She places her finger right between Jane's breasts, and the detective smirks.

"So your first impression of me wasn't a good one?"

"Wrong! It was a good one, a very good one! You were extremely polite and professional..despite your stained shirt." she giggles.

Jane smiles, pulling the sheets over their legs.

"And what was _your_ first impression of _me_?" asks Maura.

"Well, I knew you were the _queen of the dead_, everyone talked about you being the new entry as the medical examiner in BPD, so I had my expectations pretty high before I met you. To be honest, I imagined you being some kind of bitch that bossed everyone around with her scalpel or something."

Maura's brows raise in dismay. "I hope you changed your mind after meeting me."

"I did. But girl, you talked _so much_! I don't think I've ever met someone that knows so much stuff like you do. I remember having had a headache that night."

Maura looks at her girlfriend, not sure if she should take her words as a compliment or an insult.

"But I found you adorably awkward as well." Jane smiles, as if to make up for saying something bad.

"So you thought I was a talkative misfit."

"I did not say that! You were just corky."

Now is Jane's turn to receive a pillow right on her face. "I am not corky!" giggles Maura.

"You so are!" Jane jumps over the doctor, straddling her and expertly grabbing her wrists together, like if she was handcuffing her. "You are." she repeats.

"I'm not."

"I'm not convinced, talk me into it." says Jane, her voice flirty and her eyes glistening.

Maura cannot move at all, the detective's body is right against hers and her hands are immobilized, but she manages to get her mouth on Jane's collarbone, tracing it with the tongue.

"I.." She kisses her neck. "..am not.." She kisses her jawline. "..corky." Maura has gotten to Jane's lips, barely touching them with hers, looking right into Jane's eyes. When she leans in to kiss her, the detective tries to hold a moan, unsuccessfully.

"I still think you're corky. And sexy."

Maura laughs and bites her lips. The way Jane is holding her wrists together makes Maura's arms to squeeze her breasts together: the sight of her cleavage is beyond tempting to Jane.

Maura's lips are on hers again. "Then you're very stubborn." whispers the doctor after breaking the kiss.

Jane smiles. Maura's sleeve has fallen down her shoulder, showing her perfect neck and chest.

"I know," says Jane right before softly grazing her girlfriend's neck with the teeth. "Almost as stubborn as you are."


	20. Chapter 20

"Jane, wake up."

Jane growls, rolling herself over on the bed.

Unlike the detective, Maura was awake before six, so she spent those couple hours tidying up Jane's house and making breakfast, then she had a shower and when she snugged into Jane's closet to get something to wear, she surprisingly found out that almost half of her girlfriend's wardrobe was actually made of her clothing.

Now it's almost eight and Maura has reached Jane's bedroom with a tray of freshly made goodies.

"Jaaaane.." She crawls on the bed, perfectly balancing the tray on one hand and poking Jane with the other. "I made blueberry muffins.." she whispers.

"Mmm," Jane slowly opens her eyes. "Has someone said blueberry muffins?"

"Yeah," laughs Maura. "Morning sweetie." A quick kiss on the forehead and she is already standing opposite Jane.

"I have to rush to work, Susie texted me, she has some results that she need me to give a look to."

Jane's mouth is already on the muffin, some blueberry on her upper lip. "Already?"

"Yes." Maura quickly runs a dark red lipstick over her soft lips, and Jane is amazed at how she manages to pull it off without using a mirror.

The doctor turns to grab her purse, flashing Jane her perfect ass, tightly bound in a pair of black skinnies.

"Is it possible that pregnancy makes you hotter?"

Maura laughs. "See you later messy."

"Messy-" Jane receives Maura's kiss on the lips right in the middle of her question. "Why messy?"

"Because you cannot eat a thing without leaving crumbles all over yourself."

Jane looks down. Oh yes, she's covered in muffin and blueberries. "Mh. Hey, come back here."

"Jane, I really have to-"

"Just one second, come over here."

The blonde smiles and walks towards Jane. The detective is still sitting on the bed, so when Maura reaches her she's facing her belly. She carefully lifts her sweater, an incredibly soft white sweater, and she place's a tender kiss on her bump, right next to her belly button. "Bye."

Maura watches the scene with glossy eyes, shivering as Jane's lips touch her bare stomach. "I love you. We love you."

"I love you two as well."

* * *

Frost has hacked into the John's computer, kindly brought to him from an exhausted-looking mrs Sleight.

He is looking for any trace of connection between the victim and this Patrick guy, whose DNA has been found on the body and who also seem to know John's sister Anne.

"Finally, I got into John's e-mail account." Frost starts running through the addresses, looking for anything that could make him think of Patrick.

"Oh shit."

Korsak's head immediately turns at his partner. "What? What did you find?"

"Look." Frost shows him the laptop. "John exchanged a few e-mails with a certain _theboss809_, just a week ago."

_From: theboss809_

_To: John Sleight_

_u better not mess with me. another rant like the one you threw today at the school and u r DEAD._

_Ps: stop snooping into ur sisters chats. its none of ur business. Uve been warned_

"What the hell?" Korsak is confused, but Frost doesn't look surprised.

_From: John Sleight_

_To: theboss809_

_Your threatens do not scare me. You leave my sister alone, otherwise I will protect her. Don't you try to come around her again._

"I think I got it." whispers Frost, nervously bites his thumbnail.

"So?"

"Well, even though John was clearly trying to protect his sister from the perv, I'm pretty sure Anne has no idea. She did say she had stopped chatting with Patrick some time ago, but as we know _he_ did not stop contacting _her_. What if John had snooped into his sister's computer, like every curious teenage boy would do, found out the whole thing and decided this creep had to stop it."

Korsak nods, lost in its thinking. "But still, how could he know where Patrick was in the first place?"

"Well, he said he threw a rant at the school, so whether it was planned or not, they met there. I mean, Patrick could have come after Anne, for example. Maybe John stood up for her. I still don't get how can she not know though.. she's the focus of the whole thing!"

Korsak sighs. "Well, we cannot be sure if she's telling the-"

In that exact moment, Jane runs into the office, cellphone in a hand, coffee in the other.

"Guys, Anne is gone."

Frost takes his eyes off of the screen. "What do you mean _gone_?"

"She has disappeared. Her mother just called. She said that her daughter went out with some friends yesterday night and that she is usually home by one am, but this morning she found out that Anne was not home."

She gulps her coffee down in a second. "We have to find her."

Frost turns the computer monitor to her. "Look at what we got."

She quickly scans the e-mails. "Fuck, if that pervert is the same guy that killed her brother, he's definitely going for her right now."

Korsak runs a hand over his face. "I'll go to their house, check if everything's okay and bring the mother here."

"Good," Jane turns to Barry. "Frost, can you see if either Anne or our guy have logged in into the chat room in the last..let's say eight hours?"

Frost quickly types something down. "Here it is. He logged in around 7ish, but she was not online. Although.. She updated her facebook status around that same time: '_really need some fun tonight. life sucks. go clubbin at claw's with my friends!_'"

"You think he saw that?" asks Jane.

"Probably.. I mean, if he did he definitely knew where to go to look for her. Claw's is the most popular disco downtown Boston. He surely had no trouble getting in.."

Jane sighs. "Let's go there then. We cannot waste too much time."

* * *

The club is closed, of course, since it's already 10 am when Frost and Jane get there.

A woman in her thirties exits the club with a couple of garbage bags and places them near the entrance, as if to remind herself to take them when she goes away.

"Boston Homicides, we need to take a look inside, there's a missing girl that was here yesterday night." says Jane as she steps in front of the woman standing on the door.

"I'm sorry, we close at seven.. I cannot really let you in…"

Jane rolls her eyes, the clock is ticking. "We're detectives, we need to get inside and-" Frost stops her as he notices she's losing it.

"Uhm, are you the.."

"Owner of the club, yes. I just finished cleaning and I'm closing up. There's no one inside, do you think I don't look everywhere to check if some drunken is still sleeping under the tables or in the restrooms? Please, I really need to-"

Jane is getting pissed. "No, WE really need to. Open that door!"

"Alright! My God, okay!" the girl violently tosses the keys to the detective. "Here, happy?"

"Thank you," says Frost as Jane unlocks the doors of the club. 

A quick look around, ten minutes later they're out again.

"Nothing?" asks Frost.

"Nothing." Jane breathes in heavily, looking at the woman who's pissed and sitting on the coffer of her car waiting for them to be done.

"Show the owner pictures of Anne and Patrick, see if she can recognize them. I'll call Kors-" she freezes at the sight of something she does not like and has not noticed before. "Is that…blood?"

Frost immediately looks where she's pointing. Small, reddish stains are on the sidewalk.

Jane fully closes the door, showing the external side of it: a considerable-sized stain of blood is on the jamb. On the ground she sees droplets, that lead to..

"The back entrance! How could I not think of that.." Jane follows them to the blind-alley behind the club, her hand automatically over her gun.

No one is there, apart from a black cat that runs away the minute she and Frost appear from behind the corner.

The red drops lead to a dumpster. Frost helps Jane holding it open, and she takes a short breath before peeping inside, even tough she is quite sure of what to expect.

The body of a quite tall guy lays among the trash: blonde, pale, a switchblade plunged into his right eye: it's Patrick Frey.

* * *

While the body is being taken out of the dumpster, Jane leans against the building, waiting for Maura to get there.

She looks around, her gaze stopping on the young officer who's standing at the entrance of the crime scene, keeping people from snooping. He's really young, Jane notices, he must be not over 22, but he definitely looks smaller because of the oversized uniform.

A blue Prius pulling over distracts the detective from her thoughts. Two seconds after, Maura gets out of the car, wind ruffling her perfect wavy hair, and she bends over to the backseat to reach her purse, flashing her outstanding behind still tightly wrapped in those breathtaking skinnies.

Jane looks at her in awe, but shortly she notices that she's not the only one who's had her attention caught by the doctor's libidinous figure: the young cop standing a few feet from her is all shaky now, watching Maura as she walks towards him. Jane chuckles as she looks at him, finding even more amusing how the doctor has not a clue of the effect she has on that poor guy, and just keeps cat-walking into the crime scene.

Maura shows her badge to the officer, who automatically lifts the caution tape to let her in, incapable of taking his eyes off of her.

"Hey Jane." Maura keeps walking toward the detective, still without noticing that the guy's eyes are stuck to her ass.

"What do we have?"

Jane reaches Maura, trying not to laugh. "Uhm, it's our suspect, that Patrick guy.. We found him into that dumpster."

The medical examiner bends on the body, giving a closer look to the knife plunged into his eye. "He has died not more than five hours ago. Although.." she tries to keep the eye open with two gloved fingers without removing the blade, "this cannot be it. I mean, this is a typical swiss knife, the blade does not go over six, seven centimeters. Even if the idea of the attacker was to kill him with this move, it couldn't happen, the blade would not reach any vital organs. Of course, it wouldn't be pleasant, but it most certainly wouldn't be deathly."

Jane is immediately back to serious. "So.. How.."

"No signs of gunshots… No bruising… I need to examine him at the lab." With a hint of her head, the corpse is already zipped into a black bag and loaded on an ambulance.

As this one leaves the crime scene to get the body to BPD, Maura lets out a liberating cough.

"Are you okay?" snaps Jane, alarmed.

"Yeah..sort of." The doctor breaths in and out heavily a couple of times. "It's.. The smell of blood just..destabilized me a little. It's okay, I'm fine now."

"You are…pale."

Maura does not answer, she swallows a couple of times instead.

"Maur.."

"Gosh I think I need to throw up. Uuh.."

"What?" Jane goes wide-eyed, immediately looking for something Maura could puke in.

"No, wait.." The doctors makes a deep breath and shakes her head. "I'm okay, fine. I'm ready to go."

"No you are not-"

"Yes, really, it's just the pregnancy, nausea. I promise." She smiles. "I'm okay."

"Uhm, doc..doc..doctor Isles?"

Jane and Maura both turn they're heads at the voice behind them. The slim young cop is there, all shaky and blushing. "I…I wanted to say that I admire your work and you're such a good medical examiner and if you ever need anything I mean I probably would not be able to do anything for you but if I could I definitely would I mean..yeah."

Jane bites her lip hard to hold a laugh at this guy's awkwardness.

"Oh..thank you," says Maura with a sweet smile. "You're very nice."

"Oh no, thank you, _you_ are very nice.. I mean.. Uhm.." the young cop's face is bright red and he pulls out a hand.

Maura smiles again and shakes his hand vigorously. "It was definitely a pleasure to meet you."

"My..my pleasure, believe me, my..uhm..pleasure.." he stutters.

Jane notices how the guy's eyes keep falling to Maura's chest, so she automatically pulls her closer, an arm around her waist.

"Shall we go, doctor?" she smirks.

"Sure. Thank you," she says to him again. "Officer?"

"Brown. Joe Brown."

"Joe." Maura turns to Jane and the two women get into the car. 

They watch him walking away, and when he's far enough not to hear them, Jane just bursts into laughter.

"Oh my God, he was so dorky I can't even believe it!" Jane has trouble breathing because of how hard she's laughing, and Maura starts the car.

"He was sweet!" chuckles the doctor.

"Oh yeah, sweet, he could not get his eyes off of your boobs! And you should've seen how he was scanning you when you came out of the car earlier!"

"He was?"

"Yeah!" Jane keeps laughing, her hand sweetly resting on Maura's leg. "I hope when you start showing people will stop hitting on you.." she says, flirty.

"Pregnant women are more attractive than non-pregnant women to 67% of men, did you know that?"

"Oh, stop!" Jane slaps Maura's thigh and laughs again.


End file.
